Local netballers make state squads

THE strength of the BFNL’s netball competition has again been highlighted by the selection of four players in the top 100 of Victoria’s best netballers in the 17-and-under and 19-and-under age groups.

Sandhurst’s 17-and-under premiership duo from last season Claire McGee and Harriett Whiteacre have been named in the final 50 players in the state 17-and-under squad.

It’s the second year in a row the pair have made it through to the 19-and-under top 50, after they advanced to the top 25 last year.

Swelling the ranks of BFNL players in state squads, a pair of first timers – Strathfieldsaye’s Lexie Fennell and Gisborne’s Phoebe Priest – are through to the final 50 in the 17-and-under squad.

The squads will undertake trials over coming weeks, with the athletes narrowed down to teams of 12 to compete at the 2026 National Netball Championships.

The final Victorian state teams will be announced in December.

Earlier this month, Adrian Ballantyne and Echuca’s Belinda Lees were announced as the respective 19-and-under and 17-and-under Victorian state team coaches.

A top 50 selection for Whiteacre comes on the heels of a brilliant Victorian Netball League (VNL) season with the Bendigo Strikers 23-and-unders.

Whiteacre was a pillar in defence alongside 2025 Victorian state under-19 representative Eliza Mooney, for a Strikers team that finished the minor round season in fifth spot with a 12-5-1 record.

She played in all 19 games, including the club’s first ever final against Geelong Cougars, in a fabulous debut season.

Whiteacre was best on court in Sandhurst’s 17-and-under premiership win last year.

McGee, who made a spectacular A-grade debut this season in the Dragons’ round 11 loss to top-of-the-ladder Kangaroo Flat, is also coming off a big season with the Strikers.

A key in the club’s VNL reserves line-up and a training partner with the 23-and-unders, she made her 23-and-debut in the team’s 18-goal win over Gippsland Stars in round eight.

She scored five goals in limited court time.

McGee made BFNL grand final day her own in 2024, playing in two premierships for the Dragons, including 17-and-under, and was the best on court medallist in the B-reserve triumph over Gisborne.

One of only a sprinkling of players in both junior squads without VNL ties, Strathfieldsaye’s Fennell’s selection capped an amazing 12 months of development with her elevation to the top 50.

The Storm youngster, who is adept at playing at either end of the court, was a key member of the BFNL’s 17-and-under representative team that qualified for this season’s Association Championships in Melbourne.

She has appeared for the Storm’s 17-and-under, A-reserve and A-grade teams this season.

A talented dual-code athlete, Fennell represented Victoria Country at last year’s national basketball championships, held in Bendigo.

She represented the Bendigo Braves in this year’s Victorian Youth League season.

Affiliated with the Parkville Netball Centre, Gisborne goal shooter Phoebe Priest is another first-time top 50 state squad selection.

A member of the Melbourne University Lightning Academy this season, she has been in sparkling form for the Bulldogs’ 17-and-under team in 2025.

In a further boost for the region, McGee and Whiteacre are joined in the 19-and-under squad by their Bendigo Strikers-VNL clubmates Jorja Clode and Rose Byrne.

Clode, who plays her country league netball with Wimmera league club Horsham Saints, was one of the keys behind the Strikers’ rise to 23-and-under division finalists this season.

The 17-year-old goal shooter was the standout player in the Strikers’ elimination final loss to Geelong, scoring 42 of her team’s 52 goals, with just two misses on the night.

Byrne, from Goulburn Valley league club Echuca, was a member of the Strikers’ emerging squad this season and also made her debut in the club’s VNL reserves team.

She also captained the GV league’s 17-and-under interleague team this season.