By Callum Ludwig
Young Yarra Junction netballers were treated to a clinic from some of the best players in the country on Thursday 25 July.
Kristiana Manu’a and Gabrielle Sinclair of the newly-formed Melbourne Mavericks came out for the session, helping guide the next generation at the Yarra Junction Junior Netball Club.
Club President Natalie McKeon it was an excellent opportunity.
“It’s a great way to really bolster the excitement especially as we come to the end of the season and it’s really cold and it’s wet, it’s great to see some really wonderful and amazing superstars come out and show them how it’s done,” she said.
“It can also show them what it’s like to progress and be really excellent at something, and being out here it’s not something we have access to really easily all the time.”
Manu’a plays as a goal defence or goalkeeper for the Mavericks, while Sinclair is a goaler, comfortable playing as a goal shooter or goal attack.
Vice President Julie Ormsby said as a committee they decided to hone in the Mavericks this year for a special event.
“It’s not a mundane Thursday night training for 45 minutes, these ladies are going to bring something different to what we offer as coaches,” she said.
“We want to show the kids that you can do it if you want to put yourself and these two [Manu’a and Sinclair’ were exactly like those kids on the baseline once.”
The Yarra Junction Opp Shop and CNW Electrical Wholesale in Croydon stepped in to help fund the clinic, having also supported the Yarra Junction Junior Netball Club’s Inspire Netball Group Clinic last year.
Branch Manager of CNW Electrical Wholesale Chris Cammileri said they were really proud to sponsor the event.
“Team sport for kids is pretty crucial not only their development as sports peoplebut their personality and their character as well in learning to work well within the team environment,” he said.
“We love getting behind local sport and making sure that the kids are active and getting involved.”
The Melbourne Mavericks were formed ahead of the 2024 season to fill the hole left vacant by the former Collingwood Magpies team in the Suncorp Super Netball competition. The club is based at the Waverley Netball Centre in Glen Waverley and plays its home games at John Cain Arena.
Community and Operations Coordinator for the Melbourne Mavericks Grace Markovic said they love having their players come out to the community and engage with grassroots netballers.
“At Mavs, especially during our first year, we want to be visible in the community so it’s important to us to actually get the players out to associations rather than just staff, we want the kids to see our players in action and the players love it just as much as the kids,” she said.
“We’ve put together a goaling session which all the kids will get to partake in as well as a ball work and defence session which they’ll complete in the other 20 minutes and we also make sure to include a Q&A session so the kids get to ask the players any questions they like about elite sport or the pathway to get there,”
“That can range from what they eat for breakfast before the game to how many wins they get which is a question they get a lot and then we’ll finish off with match play which the kids often find the most fun.”
