PERSISTENCE has paid off for Ruby Turner, while Ruby Barkmeyer has another National Netball Championships to look forward to following their Victorian 19-under selection.
For Turner it will be her first time representing Victoria at the national championships; Barkmeyer first played for her state at under-12 level.
"It's really exciting to have been picked... I wasn't expecting it at all and thought it was a mistake when I found out," Turner said on Wednesday.
"I've tried out for state teams most years since about under-13s and this is the first time I've made it, so this really does mean a lot.
"I had a really good season this year with Sandhurst and that helped to develop my netball."
As well as her Victorian under-19 selection, Turner - a year 11 student at Catherine McAuley College - has also just joined the North East Blaze in the Victorian Netball League.
Goal defender Turner, 17, was part of Sandhurst's A Reserve premiership team in the BFNL this year, while she also played some A Grade games with the Dragons.
Meanwhile, Barkmeyer's selection caps a hectic 2019 for the 18-year-old goaler.
Barkmeyer won the Australian Netball League premiership with the Victorian Fury in July, while she was named in the division one Team of the Year in the VNL, where she played with runners-up Boroondara Express.
Barkmeyer has previously competed at the National Netball Championships for Victoria at under-12, under-15 and under-17 level.
While this will be her first time playing for Victoria at under-19 level, Barkmeyer was part of the under-19 Tasmanian squad as a bottom-age player at the 2019 championships earlier this year after missing Victorian selection.
Barkmeyer, who as well as her commitments with the Fury and Borondarra this year also played at Elmore, has won gold at the national championships with the under-12s, silver with the under-17s and bronze with the under-15s.
"This is a similar group to what we had with the under-17s with a few new girls, so, hopefully, we can go one better and win this year," Barkmeyer said.
"The nationals will be in April, so we'll train most Sundays up until then and have a few camps along the way."
Also involved in the Victorian team for the National Netball Championships is Bendigo's Carol Cathcart as the mentor coach.
"My role will be to work with the coaches and help with their development and challenge them to think outside the square so that when they make a decision they have thought about all the possible implications," Cathcart said.
"If things aren't working I may be able to give them some additional advice on strategies, but the main thing is working on coach development."
The 2020 National Netball Championships will be held in Hobart from April 18 to 23.
Both Victoria's 19-under and 17-under squads for the championships have 12 players selected.
"What we are most excited about is the volume of regional athletes selected across both age groups," Netball Victoria's Rebekah Webster said.
"We've got seven athletes in our 19-under and three athletes in our 17-under teams from regional areas, not to mention further regional representation across our Training Partner groups."
17/U Team
Emily Andrew (Waverley District Netball Association / Ariels)
Keeley Burgmann (Casey Netball Association / Hawks Netball)
Poppy Douglass (Ballarat Netball Association / Geelong Cougars)
Casey Dunstan (Boroondara Netball Association / Boroondara Express)
Sussu Liai (Dandenong & Districts Netball Association / Peninsula Waves)
Fionnuala McKeagney-Stubbs (Parkville Netball Association / City West Falcons)
Milla McLean (Boroondara Netball Association / Boroondara Express)
Charli Nicol (Geelong Football Netball League / City West Falcons)
Claire Oakley (St Albans/Caroline Springs Netball Association / Melbourne University Lightning)
Melissa Oloamanu (St Albans/Caroline Springs Netball Association / City West Falcons)
Olivia Spence (Eastern United Netball / Hawks Netball)
Zara Walters (AFL Barwon / Geelong Cougars)
Training Partners
Clara Choi (Waverley District Netball Association / Ariels)
Lucia Grace Fauonuku (Altona Netball Association / City West Falcons)
Elisa Hall (Essendon & District Netball Association / City West Falcons)
Kaylah Loulanting (Casey Netball Association / North East Blaze)
Keeley Sherar (Melbourne East Netball Association)
19/U Team
Ruby Barkmeyer (Bendigo Football Netball League / Boroondara Express)
Ashlee Barnett* (Frankston & District Netball Association / Peninsula Waves)
Taylah Brown* (Gippsland League / Boroondara Express)
Maggie Caris (Horsham Netball Association / Melbourne University Lightning)
Claudia Mawson (Goulburn Valley Football Netball League / Melbourne University Lightning)
Hannah Mundy (Waverley District Netball Association / Boroondara Express)
Daisy O'Kane (AFL Barwon / City West Falcons)
Uneeq Palavi (St Albans/Caroline Springs Netball Association / Boroondara Express)
Maddison Ridley (Whitehorse Netball Association / Melbourne University Lightning)
Tegan Stephenson (Mountain District Netball Association / Boroondara Express)
Ruby Turner (Bendigo Football Netball League / North East Blaze)
Emma Walters (AFL Barwon / City West Falcons)
Training Partners
Zali Anderson (Gippsland League / Boroondara Express)
Indya Forde (Ballarat Netball Association / Geelong Cougars)
Lydia Jordan (Ballarat Netball Association / Melbourne University Lightning)
Jasmin Mackie (Alberton Football Netball League / Peninsula Waves)
Charlotte Todd (Ballarat Netball Association / Geelong Cougars)
*Subject to fitness
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