Left: Netball star Tara Cecil is on the rise in the sport after winning the MPNFL Netball League best and fairest award and earning selection in the Australasian Catholic Netball Association team this year.By Marc McGowan
WATCH out State League One goal attacks, Cranbourne’s Tara Cecil is coming for you.
Fresh from winning the MPNFL Netball league best-and-fairest award, the 14-year-old goal defence is set to terrorise opposition shooters for Palladians in Netball Victoria’s elite competition next season.
Cecil will be brimming with confidence after also being selected in the Australasian Catholic Netball Association side.
The honour came after several stellar performances for the under-16 Victorian team at the Australasian Catholic Schoolgirls Netball Championships at Knox Regional Netball Centre last month.
But the Year 8 Cranbourne Secondary College student was just proud to be playing for Victoria again after previously making the Victorian Primary School Sports’ Association squad.
Just to survive the final cut of 12 for the championships, Cecil had to endure three three-and-a-half-hour trials.
“When you get your name called out it’s pretty good,” she said.
“Each time I didn’t expect it because I didn’t think I had played too well, so it was good.”
Cecil plans on having a big impact in 2008 and even has aspirations of representing her country in the future.
“Next year is one of my main years and I really want to make another Victorian team,” she said.
“I just want to go as far as I can with it.”
Having good friend and Pakenham goal shooter/goal defence Courtney Linhart, 15, by her side at Palladians will help that cause.
“We’ve played heaps together in squads and things like that,” Cecil said.
“We know each other, so we yell out encouragement to each other from the other side of the court.”
Linhart was also named in the Australasian Catholic Netball Association side after having won back-to-back MPNFL Netball league best-and-fairest awards in 2005 and 2006.
“I’m obviously really happy and excited because all the hard work has paid off,” the Year 9 Marist-Sion College student said.
There was little doubt about her selection after shooting 200 goals over the eight games in the championships, including 50 against Queensland.
Linhart, too, is confident of doing well for the Palladians next season.
“The level of netball I play (for Pakenham in the MPNFL Netball League) is pretty strong anyway, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with it,” she said.
Linhart’s mother Kerryn revealed that her daughter had taken the old-fashioned route to success in the sport.
“Courtney has worked really hard for her achievements this year,” she said.
“It’s only 12 months ago that she dislocated her knee playing in the regional state netball titles for Henderson.
“She’s got a natural talent and just loves the game.”
