SOUTH Warrnambool netballer Ally O’Connor is preparing for her national championships debut after making the Victorian 17 and under team.
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O’Connor, 16, was selected for the state squad on Monday following a series of training sessions in Melbourne.
The promising defender – she made her Hampden A grade debut at 15 – said she was excited to make the final cut and compete in Western Australia in April.
“The level of netball will be crazy, not like I am used to,” she said.
“Having new coaches and people who have been at the elite level, I will be able to learn new things from them.”
O’Connor said the selection process was tough.
“It was really intense. There was about five consecutive weeks I had to go to Melbourne,” she said.
“After the first one they cut it and I made it through.
“Then there were 50 girls and they cut it to 27 (and I made it) which was pretty exciting. The next three weeks were full-on games, training and seeing how the coach-able the girls were.”
O’Connor has accepted a netball scholarship at Ballarat Clarendon College.
She will play for Victorian Netball League under 19 side, the Ballarat-based Sovereigns, in 2016.
But she has also committed to travelling home to the south-west each weekend to play for South Warrnambool, where she is part of an emerging A grade outfit.
The national championships are in Perth from April 11 to 16.