Swans On Screen
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QUINN'S BIG CHANCE - By Jimmy Meiklejohn
GRIFFITH teenager Tahlia Quinn is in for a very busy 2025 as she joggles her schooling commitments with playing netball in Sydney. The 17-year-old has signed with Netball NSW Premier League club South West Mounties Magic to play in the under-23's competition.
The teenager joins a growing list of Riverina talents playing in the Premier League competition which includes Jenna Richards, Ava Moller, Phoebe Wallace, Jasmine Gilmour, Lily Webb, Emily McPherson and Kaylah Upfield.
It's an enormous opportunity for the talented teenager and Quinn said she was looking forward to playing with the Magic this season. "It is exciting, especially when all the girls are older," Quinn said. "It's good to have the opportunity this year as I didn't really expect it at all."
Quinn has established herself as one of the best young netball talents in the region having notched up over 40 A grade games for Griffith over the past two and half seasons.
She was also part of the very strong Riverina side that finished runner-up at the NSW Regional State Cup in October.
Despite her impressive resume, Quinn was unsure if she would be offered the chance to play Premier League under 23's this year given her age. "To be honest I didn't know," she said.
"Our team went really well and I know our team was one of the strongest ones, but I just thought that I was too young. I never thought any teams would reach out, but then I got an email."
While landing at the Magic by herself Quinn wont have to look far for some similar faces as fellow Griffith players Jenna Richards and Jasmine Gilmour are also playing in the under 23's competition this season.
The teenager agreed it was nice to have a few close friends playing in the same competition and going through a similar experience. "I'm really close with Jenna and Jas," she said. So it's good to have a few friends that are also going through the same thing. "But I'm pretty sure they are both moving up there which is going to be a bit different compared to me."
Given she will continue to live in Griffith, Quinn hadn't ruled out continuing with the Swans in 2025. (The Area News - Friday January 10, 2025).
NETBALL LEAGUE MEDALLIST RICHARDS PREPARES FOR PREMIER LEAGUE - By Jimmy Meiklejohn
RIVERINA League A grade medallist Jenna Richards is excited about taking on a new challenge in Sydney.
Richards has signed with NSW Premier League Netball club GWS Fury to play in the under 21's competition next season.
It follows an excellent past season for Richards, where she took a popular victory in the Riverina League A grade medal count and was crowned best and fairest at Griffith. Having achieved just about all she can in the Riverina League, Richards said she was now keen to test herself at the highest level. "I think that was a big reason why I decided to take the next step," she said.
The RFL is such a strong league and around our area I don't think there is anywhere I could've gone that was much stronger than the RFL at the moment. "All the teams in the RFL are very strong and it's a tightly contested comp, so I think if I want to take that next step then this was the only real option for me. "I thought if I was going to move then I may as well move up to Sydney and take that chance why I have it. "After a good season I thought this is my next step."
Richards joins a growing list of Riverina talents playing in the Premier League and her signing follows on from the recent news that Phoebe Wallace, Jasmine Gilmour and Lily Webb are joining Sutherland Stingrays.
Despite a strong campaign at the Regional State Cup for Riverina where she was named in the Merit Team, Richards revealed her rise to being offered a spot with the Fury was very unexpected. "I was very surprising honestly and it all kind of happened at once," she said.
After Regional League in a week, I was trying to sort out getting to trials, then after that I was trying to figure out what I was going to do and how it was all going to work like where I was going to live. "It was all happening in such a short space of time, it was very unexpected."
Richards will have a familiar face alongside her at the Fury, as Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes' Ava Moller has also signed with the Premier League club. "It definitely makes it that bit easier having a familiar face going into it and knowing that I'm not the only regional athlete," she said. "We've got a couple of girls coming from a fair distance away, but knowing Ava from around this area just makes it that little bit easier taking that step which is nice."
Richards is a Swans junior and has been the mainstay in their A grade side for a number of years. She agreed it was difficult to make the call to strep away. "Yeah definitely," she said. "That was hard talking to Joh (Munro) about my plans, but she's obviously so supportive of me and all the girls who are going up there.
"I was playing my first game of netball there in the under 11's and I think I was nine. "I've been with the Swans ever since so definitely it's bittersweet." (The Daily Advertiser - Tuesday December 24, 2024).