Storm netballer makes Victorian top 50

STRATHFIELDSAYE’S Lexie Fennell believes her experience trialling for Victoria’s state 17-and-under netball team has improved her as a player.

The multi-talented 16-year-old was a surprise selection in the top 50 netballers in her age group invited to audition for spots in the team for next year’s national championships.

While she missed a spot in the top 25 selected to participate in Netball Victoria’s high-performance program, Fennell has emerged from the process with her reputation enhanced and much wiser for the experience.

Her top 50 selection, which came on the heels of her being talent identified at Netball Victoria’s Association Championships while representing the BFNL, was a massive accomplishment in itself, having not come through the traditional academy and VNL pathways like most athletes identified.

A smart and classy goaler, equally capable of impacting strongly in defence, Fennell admitted to being shocked at finding herself in the top 50.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, because I’d never really played with the metro girls, but I was very excited to be there,” she said.

“It was really surreal.

“There were some amazing people and players down there for the two tryouts (four hours apiece), so it was a great learning experience.

“I’ve never really had the opportunity versus players like that, so I’ll learn a lot from it.

“The physicality was a completely new experience.”

A talented dual-code athlete, who represented Victoria Country at last year’s national basketball championships and currently plays with the Bendigo Braves’ VJBL under-18 team, Fennell was grateful to see a few familiar faces from her basketball universe at the trials to help ease the nerves.

Having made the choice to make netball her bigger focus this season, Fennell praised her BFNL representative team experience under co-coaches Sharni McPherson and Alison Leech.

“I had so much fun and we did really well (the BFNL finished fifth),” she said.

“That was a big focus and obviously I got TIDed from that.”

Her rapid progression has led to Fennell making a handful of appearances this season at A-grade and A-reserve level, where she has on occasion been pitted against some of the league’s most experienced and decorated defenders, among them Kangaroo Flat’s Alicia McGlashan and Gisborne’s Zoe Davies.

It’s been an invaluable experience.

“I am so lucky the club lets me suit up in those sorts of games,” Fennell said.

“I played on Zoe Davies against Gisborne, it was the biggest fan-girl moment I have ever had.

 

“I was like, someone take a photo. It was so surreal. I was so grateful to get on court.”

In terms of the biggest influences on her netball, Fennell nominated McPherson, her Storm coach Fiona Schubert, and of course her mum, a multiple premiership player at Golden Square and a former Braves basketballer.

“Mum does so much for me – she gives me the majority of my netball tips,” she said.

“I’d be pretty ordinary without her.

“She keeps me very humble.”

Storm 17-and-under coach Schubert said Fennell had all the attributes needed to excel in netball, if that was the sporting path she eventually chose.

“She is amazingly versatile, really coachable and can just turn a game for you,” she said.

“Just a really important player on court for us.

“She still has another year in under-17s yet – still bottom age – so she is definitely a talent to watch.

“She had a pretty reasonable season for us last year, but she was missing for six or eight rounds because she was in (under-16) Vic Country basketball.

“This year she is bottom age under-18, so it’s back to netball as a bit of a focus and she is having a cracker of a season.”

Fennell looms as one of the undoubted keys for her side during this year’s finals series.

The Storm will play Golden Square in this weekend’s qualifying final, with the pair finishing second and third behind reigning premier Sandhurst.

Co-coach of this season’s BFNL 17-and-under representative team, McPherson lauded Fennell’s versatility as a major asset during their 2025 tournament season campaign.

“You definitely notice Lexie’s drive and her knowledge on the netball court; (she has) such a clear understanding of where things need to go and a great game sense,” she said.

“If what she executes doesn’t happen, she works so hard to try and turn the ball back over, so she gets another opportunity, or the team gets another opportunity.

“I think she has all the potential and all the requirements elite team coaches and selectors would look at.

“She’s athletic, plays both ends and has a great netball sense and is a great team player.” More sport from page 31.