THE first time Mia Aitken stepped onto a netball court, she cried the whole game \u2013 now she is captaining a state team.<\/p>\n
It has been a 10-year journey since that first game and now the Geelong teenager has been selected to co-captain the Victorian under-19 team for the coming national championships.<\/p>\n
With four years of state representation experience, Aitken is no stranger to top level netball.<\/p>\n
This will be her third time leading a state side alongside co-captain Mackenzie O’Dwyer.<\/p>\n
“I was previously co-captain with Mackenzie in 2024 when we were top age under-17s and heading into this year I knew I would have loved to be co-captain again,” Aitken said.<\/p>\n
“I was like, I’m not putting pressure on it, if it happens it happens and if it doesn’t, that’s okay too. I could still lead through my leadership qualities, even if I’m not in that position, but to be voted in was really nice.<\/p>\n
“It always comes as a surprise and it’s just a real privilege. I’m super excited to do it again.”<\/p>\n
This year’s team has an injection of new bottom-age girls who Aitken is excited to play against at Nationals in April.<\/p>\n
With a bronze and silver medal from previous years, she is keen to get her hands on gold in 2026.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got a few new girls this year and we’ve been training together really strongly,” Aitken said.<\/p>\n
“The rest of us have played together on and off, which has been good because we’re able to build those connections, but I think the new girls slotted in so nicely.<\/p>\n
“The intensity they bring to training is great and it just makes me really excited to see what we can do at Nationals this year.”<\/p>\n
With one of the most impressive netball resumes in the region, Aitken balances her state team commitments with playing for the Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League and A grade at St Mary’s.<\/p>\n
She hopes her efforts will lead her to a Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) contract one day, but after the shock of making her first representative team as a child, she is riding each year with dignity.<\/p>\n
“I did Barwon Sports Academy that allowed me to trial for Talent Academy \u2013 that is a development program \u2013 and through that I trialed for my first state team,” Aitken said.<\/p>\n
“When I made it, I was very shocked because I just didn’t think it could happen.<\/p>\n
“Obviously, a contract in SSN is the dream but I am just happy to take this as far as I can.<\/p>\n
“You look at a lot of the girls and sometimes it doesn’t happen, but for some of them it does. I think I’m just at the stage where I want to pursue it but I’m also happy with what I’ve done.”<\/p>\n
Netball Australia’s under-17s and under-19s national championships will be played from 9-15 April at the State Netball Centre in Parkville.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE first time Mia Aitken stepped onto a netball court, she cried the whole game \u2013 now she is captaining a state team. It has been a 10-year journey since that first game and now the Geelong teenager has been selected to co-captain the Victorian under-19 team for the coming national championships. With four years […]<\/p>\n