WAGGA teenager Sophie Fawns has secured her future at NSW Swifts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fawns' sensational debut season for the Swifts proved enough to earn herself a permanent roster spot with the club for the 2023 Super Netball campaign.
The Swifts announced Fawns as the final piece to their 10-woman list for next season on Tuesday.
The club said Fawns fought off strong competition to earn spot on the Swifts' main list, after joining the club this year as a temporary replacement player.
Fawns, who had progressed through the Swifts Academy, made her debut for the club in round two after a vacancy opened up due to an ACL injury to star shooter Sam Wallace.
The 18-year-old former Kooringal High School student described winning a permanent spot on the Swifts roster as even more special than her Super Netball debut.
"I'll never forget that first moment I ran on in a Swift dress at Ken Rosewall Arena which is a dream for almost every young netballer in NSW," Fawns said.
"I have loved every moment since then and getting to play with the likes of Helen Housby, Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud has been surreal.
"You never want to forget where you come from and I am really grateful to my family, junior coaches and teammates who've supported my dream along the way.
"I am under no illusions of how competitive and challenging playing at this level is, but I am ready for the opportunity and I want to thank the coaches for believing in me.
"I'm ready to give it my all."
MORE SPORT NEWS
The Swifts will be out to win a third Super Netball premiership in five years in 2023, after missing out on a fourth-consecutive finals appearance by a decimal percentage this year.
While Wallace will return for the 2023 season, Swifts head coach Briony Akle still had no hesitation in offering Fawns a permanent spot on the club's list.
"Sophie is one of the brightest talents in the Australian game and to see her smiling on court with every shot she takes reminds us of why we play," Akle said.
"For Sophie to perform like she did on that stage with little preparation is a real demonstration of the raw talent she possesses.
"To provide some context, last year she was training on asphalt courts in regional NSW and in the space of months she was playing in Super Netball... the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of pathway competitions such as the National Netball Championships so when she got her chance it was sink or swim, and she did the latter brilliantly."
Akle believes the future is bright for the former Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes shooter.
"I feel we have only scratched the surface with Sophie and there is still a lot of work to do. Raw talent is wasted if it isn't matched with hard work but Sophie is a great young woman with a good attitude and she is eager to learn and develop her game," she said.
"She and her family should be very proud of what she has achieved so far and I would like to again thank the QBE Swifts Academy which had her prepared and ready to enter our environment when Sam went down.
"Next year will be a big step up for Sophie, but we feel she has what it takes to develop both on and off court and we are very excited to see where she goes from here."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters