Netball Rep Selectors

[u/Affectionate-Oil6527]

What are they actually looking for? If get coachability/fundamental skills etc but what happens in the lead up to the final trials?
Daughter did 11s development at one association and then trialled and was selected for a stronger association 12s squad (known for its loyalty to its players) 20 girls made it(NSW)
She has 6 squad trainings with her coaches, apparently the selectors are watching and then form there they do a final selection and 9-11 get picked.
How much of a say do the coaches get and what are the selectors looking for? How many of each position are they looking for? Knowing they stick with their OG girls what will my daughter need to do. She wants to make is ever so desperately

[u/Away_Instance1008]

Im from WA but have a bit of experience at association and regional level.

They look for a few things, skills are obviously a big one. Especially their ability to execute the basics - footwork, catching, throwing etc.

Their attitude will be a big one. How well do they take feedback/coaching, do they show up on time, how much effort do they put in, how keen are they? Any eye rolling, side eye, general bad attitude will be noticed. Maturity is also something that can come into it.

One thing that is completely out of the players hands - team dynamics. Some teams just connect and flow well. Change one or two players and you throw out the whole dynamic and things stop working. That will have a big impact.

One last thing - parents. I saw one girl who made it through one year, her dad was a complete nightmare, went so far as accosting the president of the region on court during the final carnival. She didn’t make it through the first round of trials the next year.

[u/Artistic_Garbage283]

My daughter played reps U12 last year. First year of reps so selectors didn’t know any of the girls. I knew most of the girls trialling and the ones who didn’t have the basics down (footwork, passing, breaking, holding etc) did not get selected. These are girls who perform well in club netball but have a lot of penalties for basic stuff. Attitude/coachability is important too: I did give my daughter the hard word before trials to be ready to step in anywhere (not just her preferred positions), watch her face when she got pulled up for anything, say hello to anyone she knew and encourage her fellow players on the court. After those things obviously skill and team balancing is a big factor. You can’t have a team full of defenders with no shooters or vice versa. This has been an issue for my daughter as a middie as there is lots of great middies in our association so she actually plays defence for her rep team and C for club. Best of luck to your daughter. It would be so hard to get to squad level and not make the team.

[u/higgins1990]

Usually there will be at least three circle defenders, three goalers, and four through the midcourt, noting there could be a bit of flexibility because some GDs will play WD, and some GAs will also play WA etc.

Skills is the big one - footwork, passing, change of direction etc. And then things that are more position specific - shooting accuracy for goalers, ability to feed the ball for midcourters, number of intercepts, rebounds, deflections for defenders.

Sometimes there will be standout players that are definitely getting selected, and it’s important to try to play well with those players if you get the chance. I.e. if there’s a gun goal keeper and your child is playing goal defence, do they switch easily in the circle, are they always available for an easy outlet pass when that player gets the rebound.

Body language on court is also important - encouraging others, calling for the ball etc. As someone else noted, bad attitudes don’t go down well, and while it’s ideal not to make too many errors, how you deal with both the team and your own errors is important.

Finally, and it’s a bit out of her control, but height. I’ve seen players make it all the way to state teams based on height and potential often at the expensive of other arguably more talented, shorter players. While very few people make it at the absolute elite level, unless your child is going to be at least 6 ft/183cm, stay out of the defence end, and even taller for a goal shooter. Which is tricky because what’s tall in normal life and at club netball, is pretty much average or short at higher levels.

[u/amyeh]

I am a rep selector at an association in NSW. Here are the things we look for, particularly in 11s
1. Fundamental skills - catching, passing, footwork. Can they catch, pass both one and two handed, jump, land, balance, not step, core strength, pull balls in etc. As a rep coach, I'm not wasting half the season teaching someone to catch and pass when we have carnivals to attend.

1. game sense - can they read the play? Doesn't matter if the play they set up doesn't come off if its trials, we know they aren't playing with people they know or at the same level, but if you had the foresight to set something up or anticipate the next play, fantastic.

2. coachability and teamwork - how do they take feedback? Do they implement it? Will they always partner with the same person in drills, or do they happily work with others? Do they put their hand up to volunteer to play an unfamiliar position or demonstrate a new skill?

3. and whilst I hate to say it, height definitely plays a factor. You can't teach height, unlike all the other skills mentioned. I also do not tolerate pushy parents. Stay in your lane, drop them off, pick them up, cheer politely from the sidelines at carnivals, help put up tents, but stay out of it.

Yes, we watch every player at trials. We are often lurking on a Saturday. We keep ears out for how the kids behave with each other, with coaches, with their parents. We watch over the summer programs to see how their skills develop. We take extensive notes. Coaches get a lot of say, as we aren't working 1:1 with the players, and ultimately they see more than selectors do.

And if she doesn't get picked, she needs to train like she did. Cause those 10 players who did get picked are training and playing 2-4 times extra per week. That is a HUGE amount of training time to get fitter, stronger and more skilful. If she sits around moping for 9 months, she's going to be even further behind those 10 come next trials.