THE Hampden Football Netball League has announced its senior and junior netball representative squads for the upcoming Western Zone Championships next month, with a pair of young Portlanders in the mix.
Gracie Piergrosse and Ayda Wiseman will both represent Hampden it the under-13 age bracket, with Piergrosse to play in the Championship side while Wiseman will play in the reserves team.
Both girls said they were very happy to have made it into their respective squads, with Piergrosse saying the process of training with other high-level Hampden players was a great challenge.
“(It was) difficult, everyone there is really good in their position… you really just have to try your best and keep showing up for training,” she said.
Wiseman said it was a new experience that she thoroughly enjoyed.
“It was a cool experience playing against some different players… and also playing with them, it was good to make those connections,” she said.
Piergrosse plays primarily in defence as either a goal defence or goal keeper, while Wiseman is usually at the opposite end of the court as either goal attack or goal shooter.
“But we also got a chance to play in some other positions as well which was cool but also hard,” Piergrosse said.
Both girls said they had learned a lot about how to position themselves and how to properly move around the court from the elite coaches who are overseeing the squads.
The girls will take part in a number of additional training sessions now that the teams have been announced, before they head away next month.
• There will also be some local representation in Hampden’s Open side, with Portland-based Koroit player Millie Jennings to feature in the 12-woman squad which will compete in Ballarat on June 2.