Russells Creek midcourter Charlotte van der Starre growing in confidence

The game as an entity and where it could take her. What van der Starre, 16, didn't expect was how the sport would shape her as a person.

"I actually wanted to go all the way with netball," she said. "Now, I've figured it's grown me as a person as well. Seeing the maturity of myself from what I was until now, it's really interesting. It comes out on the netball court I feel."

van der Starre's talent is irrefutable, the midcourter winning multiple Warrnambool and District junior league best and fairest awards with Russells Creek, including last year's under 17 title as an underage player.

Last week she extended a long tenure with the league's Western Region Netball Association Championships' representative team.

But confidence is key to form for the teen. Now in her second year as an A grader, van der Starre revealed her early season struggles.

Arguably Creek hasn't had the easiest of runs, with an extensive injury list meaning players such as van der Starre, who is in her first year of work in dairy farming, had to take on greater responsibility.

"I wasn't having a great start, I just felt like I wasn't good enough in a way," van der Starre said. "But (coach) Stacy (Dunkley) and I have worked really closely together and it's starting to come together and feeling so much better. It's also that confidence and maturity I guess."

With van der Starre and Dunkley playing a similar style of game through the midcourt, the former said time was needed to work out a complementary partnership.

"We've been working on spacial awareness and watching out for each other on court," van der Starre said. "At the start we were pretty much running on top of each other but we're starting to figure it out now.

Creek is still chasing its second win of the season, though has been excruciatingly close to victory on several occasions including a three-goal loss to top-five side Dennington last week. Another two games were decided by two goals.

"We were very proud of ourselves for that game (Dennington)," van der Starre said. "Being second last on the ladder and being that close to fifth, felt really good. We're hoping to cause a few upsets later in the season."

Meanwhile, in under 17s, van der Starre and her teammates are second on the ladder only to Merrivale. With her side undefeated last year before COVID-19 forced the finals series to fold, van der Starre's motivation to taste success this season is at an all-time high.

"We're looking really strong and the team gets along so well," she said. "There is that fire in your belly, that you want to get there (finals) so much more."

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