Star

Olivia named in top squad

By Tim Doutré

14th April 2009 11:07:31 AM

Defending her spot ... Fifteen-year-old netballer Olivia Mitchell will represent Victoria and Australia in the coming months. 29277 Picture: SARAH MATRAY

OLIVIA Mitchell has come a long way since she first picked up a netball and began passing it down the court.

The then 11-year-old was pulled up for infringing the rules but five years later, just one month shy of her 16th birthday, Mitchell is preparing to take on the rest of the netballing nation when she suits up for Victoria at the under-17 National Championships.

The National Championships will act as a warm up for the Werribee resident who will represent Australia for the first time in June.

“I am really excited,” she said.

“Me and a few of the girls I play with there are two girls in the state team, we keep talking about how much fun it is going to be.

“I reckon I will get nervous once I get to New Zealand for the first national game but once I play my first game I think all the nerves will disappear.

“We go to New Zealand to play against all the countries that play netball. It is pretty intense.”

Mitchell was selected as a defender and will rotate between goal defence and goal keeper, positions which she finds at time incredibly frustrating.

“It is pretty unfair sometimes. The defenders are sort of taught to be more aggressive than most players, we have to be hungrier for the ball.

“We get the stats after every game and you see if you need to work on things, like your footwork and you can see how many intercepts you got.

“Sometimes it gets frustrating but when you see how many intercepts you get you can look at the positives more than the negatives which helps improve you as a player.

Mitchell plays in the newly formed Hume City Falcons under-19 side where she plays under head coach Marg Lind.

The Williamstown High School student recently got her highest amount of intercepts in a match playing for the Falcons – a grand total of 27 but she said they do not come easy.

“Most of the shooters are heaps older and taller.

“Our shooter is 6’2” (188cm) and I played against a shooter who is taller than her who is 6’3”- 6’4” (190-193cm) and I am only 5’10”-5’11” (177-180cm).”

So how does she combat opposition who are taller and have a bigger reach?

“I just use my body more, I have a more stronger body so I use that to try and get them out of the ring so she can’t shoot and then once she is out try not to let her get back to the post.”

Mitchell thanked her mum Lois for all her hard work and for all the “petrol and spending money”.

It was Lois who inadvertently got her daughter into the sport to begin with.

“Mum’s best friend was looking for another player and mum was like ‘ok you can go and try it’.

“I just kept going with it. It was hard at first because I was playing basketball at the same time.”

State and national representation aside Mitchell is also looking forward to challenging the first under-19 premiership with the Falcons in the newly formed division.

“We have played four games and drawn one and won three. We really blitzed them in the wins.

“I have played for Hume for two years now so our side is pretty tight, we have a really awesome side.”