But wait, there's more.

Unfortunately the up-and-coming junior will have to miss out on Western Regional State League, the Victorian Netball League (VNL) and her state squad commitments.

South Warrnambool's Rachael felt a pinch while doing pre-season training with VNL 19 and under team Ballarat Pride in late November.

"We were doing a three-kilometre time trial and my leg just started feeling really painful," she said.

"I kept training but it just got worse and worse.

"I went to a physio and got told it was a groin strain but after five weeks of doing nothing it got worse."

The towering 17-year-old got a scan in Melbourne last Thursday that showed an anterior labral-based tear of the hip.

Translation: "There's not enough rotation in my right hip," she said.

"I have to get surgery either late February or early March.

"They will just go in there and reshape the bone and fix the cartilage.

"It's a major surgery so I'm probably looking at being out for the season."

Before her injury, Rachael was being considered for the 17 and under Victorian team which will attend the national championships in Adelaide in April.

"I pushed through three trainings with the squad but I had to go down last Sunday and tell the coach I had to pull out," she said.

"Ballarat Pride have their first practice match this week but I'll have to sit out."

The shooter is also an exclusion from South's 17 and under Western Regional State League side, which plays its opening round of the competition tonight.

She was naturally disappointed about being sidelined but found a positive .

"I'll be able to have a good start to year 12," the Warrnambool College student said.

"It's going to be hard to watch and not play to start with but I just want to get it better and then get back into it. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and play good netball."