WA’s Marie Little Shield State Team will embark on a trip to Sydney for the national championships later this month.
The MLS is an annual netball competition for women aged 16 and over with an intellectual disability, giving athletes a chance to represent their state at a national level.
To assist the team’s preparation, this year’s Gold Industry Group WANL Premiers the Western Roar hosted a training collaboration for the Marie Little Shield WA State Team.
The partnership with the Western Roar provides exposure for MLS athletes to GIG WANL athletes, promotes pathways for the players and helps their preparation for the Marie Little Shield in October.
Emma Revell, one of the MLS athletes at the session, embraced the challenge that the Roar offered.
"I like that our team was pushed to play better. I played harder than I had all season,” Revell said.
"They were really friendly and encouraging. They wished us good luck in Sydney and gave us our team mascot."
One of the highlights of the calendar year since being introduced back in 2013, the MLS has gone from strength to strength, encompassing the spirit of Marie Little OAM.
Western Roar President Simone Pirie underlined the importance of this initiative.
"For the past five years, training with the MLS team has been the highlight of our community engagement calendar,” Pirie said.
"Our players and coaches, whilst hopefully sharing some netball knowledge with the MLS athletes, also gain so much from spending time with these amazing women.
"The whole club gets behind this fun-filled and joyous event."
MLS State Team Head Coach Bev Gallagher was glowing in her praise of the collaboration.
"The training session with the Roar is always a highlight of our state team training. It is really fantastic for our girls to be able to train alongside them,” Gallagher said.
"It’s also a fun social day, which our girls love. We really treasure the relationship that has developed between the Roar and the Marie Little team over the years."
The Marie Little Shield State Team also recently took part in the Origin State Cup, playing a number of exhibition matches on the final day of the competition to fine tune their preparations for the national championship.
The 2022 Marie Little Shield will be held from 26 to 28 October at Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park.
