The State Teams spent the past week competing at Sydney’s Netball Central against the best pathway talent from every State and Territory.
17/U
The 17/U sides campaign was headlined by grit and tenacity, the young team giving it their all during every match.
The competition kicked off with a Round One four-goal win over Queensland, Skyla Payne a standout in the Goal Shooter bib with 32 goals.
The side went on to lose their two Friday games. Going down by 14 to Victoria and 19 to South Australia.
The 17s put on an absolute show on Saturday with a 43-goal win over the Northern Territory. Loyola Vaauli, who was crucial throughout the entire week, took home 24 goals for herself.
On Sunday, Ava Bell and Georgia Holmes found time in the goal circle to assist Payne and Vaauli, with a 12-goal win over Tasmania in Round Five.
The side then faced New South Wales in Round Six and went down by 25 goals. This was the motivation they needed to fuel a 19-goal win over the Australian Capital Territory in Round Seven.
The 17s finished the regular games at fourth on the ladder. This placing took them straight through to the Semi-Final against South Australia, where they suffered an 11-goal defeat.
In the bronze medal fight against Victoria, the 17s gave it their all. Despite an early lead by Victoria, WA were able to equalise goals during the second and fourth quarter.
Payne (16) and Vaauli (12) held themselves well in goals, joined by Holmes (eight). Captain Ivy Dodd, joined by Keely Berry, Maisie Wilders and Sienna Kukulj projected pressure in defence.
Amelie Markovic and Georgia Candy were able to rotate in the centre bib whilst vice-captain Charli Hynes held onto Wing Attack and Saphire McLeod in Wing Defence.
After a strong third quarter, Victoria were able to cement themselves a 10-goal win and the bronze medal.
19/U
With an influx of 17s athletes ageing into the 19/U division in 2025, the experienced NNC side were competitive right out of the gate.
Round One was a 21-goal win over the Australian Capital Territory and goal responsibility was shared between Lily Knight (16), Grace Millichamp (10), Kate Cunningham (five), Teagan Begovic (five) and Halle Richards (three).
In a nail biting start to their second day, WA lost by four to Queensland but brought it back for a three-goal win over Victoria in Round Three.
From there, the 19s finished the regular games with success. In Round Five, they beat South Australia by 21-goals and in Round Six beat New South Wales by one thanks to a goal on the siren by Richards.
To solidify their place as second on the ladder, they won their final regular game by 25-goals over the Northern Territory.
Despite a Semi-Final loss to Victoria by four-goals, the side were through to the bronze medal match.
The fight for the bronze medal was tough, with Queensland leading every quarter. The side gave it their all; defensive pressure was on from Emily Rivers, Kate Cunningham, Eva Petkovic and Grace Jooste.
In the mid-court, Aaliyah Kotea, Clara Wigley and Teagan Begovic put their best foot forward to provide options to Knight (17), Millichamp (two) and Richards (three) in goals.
The strength of the Queensland side was too much, with WA going down by 15-goals to place fourth overall.
