Hooked on Netball Read online

  About the Book

  Netball Gems is a junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia.

  Meet Maddy and her friends from the Gems!

  Maddy can’t wait to play her first game of netball with her new team. She’s been training hard and is eager to try out her skills. But Maddy’s excitement soon turns to nerves when she realises that things might not go exactly as she imagined. What position will coach Janet put her in? What if she gets asked to sit on the bench? Suddenly, the netball courts are the last place Maddy wants to be!

  Perhaps some inspiration from one of the Australian Diamonds players will finally get Maddy hooked on netball!

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The Marrang Gems

  Player Profile

  Netball Drills

  Netball Positions

  Also in the Series

  Copyright Notice

  Chapter One

  Maddy’s heart began to pound as she looked up to scan the carpark. She felt her thick brown ponytail swing as she moved her head.

  Where is Prani?

  Prani was Maddy’s best friend and she’d said she would be at training. But training was about to start and Prani wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Maddy began chewing on her bottom lip and fiddling with the soft frayed hem of her navy sports shorts.

  Come on, Prani! Where are you? I’m going to be the only one without a partner!

  ‘Passing drills! Let’s get started!’ said Janet, the coach, as she walked briskly up and down between the pairs of girls like a sergeant major. She was tall and wore her long dark curly hair in a messy bun.

  The rest of the team began to spread out on the court and prepared to throw chest passes, but Maddy remained where she stood, clutching a ball against her stomach.

  Maybe one of the others will pair with me? thought Maddy.

  She looked hopefully to her friends from school, Lily and Sienna, but they had already teamed up and made a pair. Maddy eyed the other girls in her team. Training had only begun a few weeks ago so she didn’t really know them very well yet. Phoebe always seemed distracted and Maddy had no idea what she was like. Charlotte seemed quiet. Isabella seemed easygoing. Jade seemed bossy and sometimes just not very nice. In the first training session she’d made some comment about Prani being Indian, which Maddy didn’t get. What did it matter?

  Now what? Maybe I should go and ask to be a third person for the passing drills … But I don’t want to be annoying …

  Maddy’s mind raced.

  What if the coach takes pity on me, the leftover girl, and asks me to do the passes with her? That would be the worst … Come on, Prani!

  The seconds stretched on and for a moment, Maddy wondered why she’d even joined the Marrang Netball Club Under 13s team. Although they were officially known by their club name at games, it had been Maddy’s idea to choose a special name for their team. They had chosen the Gems after the Australian team, the Diamonds.

  Janet aimed a questioning look at Maddy but just as she opened her mouth to speak, a car with a broken muffler weaved noisily along the track between the gum trees, towards the carpark.

  Prani leapt from the car and ran towards the courts, waving madly at Maddy. Her thick black braid bounced, and her earrings glittered in the late-afternoon sun.

  ‘Sorry I’m late –’ she began.

  ‘Quick!’ interrupted Maddy. ‘We have to start or we’ll miss practising chest passes!’

  They found space on the court and stood about two metres apart. As they began their chest passes, they heard the coach’s clear voice.

  ‘Now remember, everyone,’ Janet called, ‘when you catch a chest pass, you grab it with both hands, one on either side of the ball. I want you to grab it strongly and hold tight, like a two-year-old who grabs and says “Mine!”.’

  Instantly, four pairs of girls began imitating a two-year-old with every catch. ‘Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!’

  Maddy realised that the idea had worked. She was more conscious of pulling the ball strongly and decisively towards her each time she caught it.

  Relaxed now that Prani was here, Maddy began to enjoy training. They moved from chest passes to bounce passes. It reminded her of the NetSetGO training she’d done when she was younger. NetSetGO was how she’d learnt the basic skills and rules of netball.

  The trick to these kind of passes was to figure out where the ball needed to bounce so that it could be neatly caught by your partner, in front of her body. You also had to work out how much force to put behind your pass. If the pass was too strong, it would bounce too high. If it was too soft, it would bounce too low, making it difficult to catch.

  Prani used the right amount of force but her aim wasn’t that great because she was distracted, telling Maddy all about why she was late. Maddy lunged sideways to catch Prani’s crooked pass.

  ‘So anyway,’ Prani continued, ‘Nani wanted to start teaching me how to cook, but Mum said she had to wait until after netball training. They talked on and on and on and on about it – and that’s why I’m late!’

  Maddy laughed. Prani often talked about her funny grandma, who she called ‘Nani’.

  The team shifted to practising lob passes. Maddy stepped forward on her left foot and carefully lobbed the ball just high enough for Prani to do a standing leap and stretch her arms high to catch the pass. Maddy’s quick, sharp passes contrasted with Prani’s loose, fluid movements. Maddy relished the feel of the new netball in her hands. Now she’d be ready for any type of pass in Saturday’s game!

  Chapter Two

  Janet was an experienced coach. She was Lily’s mum but never showed any favouritism; she was always fair. She expected the Under 13s team to listen at training and not to muck around. Maddy didn’t mind that. She knew that there was heaps to learn, and she desperately wanted to be as good as the older girls in the club. She had seen them training after the Under 13s sessions. They seemed to know how to do everything easily, and they worked so well as a team.

  ‘Okay, question time.’

  Janet was about to quiz them. She kept training sessions moving with a range of drills on core netball skills, but she also tested them to see what they remembered. She always said that netball was as much about the mind as the body.

  ‘What fraction is the court divided into?’

  Hands shot into the air.

  ‘Thirds,’ Isabella called out.

  Janet continued to shoot questions at the girls, checking that they all knew the answers.

  ‘Where are the Goal Shooter and Goal Keeper allowed to go?’

  ‘What is the Wing Attack’s job?’

  ‘How many steps can you take with the ball?’

  ‘Charlotte, I haven’t heard from you yet: what is “contact”?’

  Charlotte went bright red in the face and stammered a reply. ‘W-When someone bumps you?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right. You can’t trip, push, hold onto or lean on anyone from the other team, or make any other physical contact that would interfere with their game.’

  When Jan
et was happy that the girls were learning all the rules, she moved on to goal practice for the day.

  ‘Today we’re going to practise the correct goal-shooting position. You all need to know this, because you will each have a turn as Goal Attack and Goal Shooter. Does anyone know the best way to stand and position your arms with the ball?’

  Phoebe raised her hand hesitantly. She was tall and slim, with grey eyes that rarely looked straight at anyone.

  ‘Okay, Phoebe. Take this ball and stand as if you were about to shoot a goal.’

  Everyone watched Phoebe take the ball and pretend to get ready to shoot. Maddy couldn’t believe it.

  She looks exactly like a professional goaler! she thought.

  ‘Phoebe, that’s perfect!’ said Janet. ‘Okay, girls, I want everyone to take a ball so I can see how well you’re positioning yourselves.’

  For the next few minutes, the rest of the team tried to get a feel for the correct shooting position. Each girl stood with her feet apart, her arms stretched out above her head, the ball resting on one hand and the other hand on the side to guide it.

  ‘That’s great, everyone! Sienna – feet apart a bit more. Good. Now, here’s the important part. You need to remember to bend your knees before you release the ball – and then …’ Janet released the netball she’d been holding. ‘… Aim high in the air, as if you were shooting into the goal ring.’

  It felt so unnatural at first that the results were awkward and messy. Charlotte sent a wonky ball up into the air and it landed squarely on Sienna’s head. Sienna staggered around in dramatic death throes, sending her teammates into fits of giggles.

  ‘Yes, yes, great death scene,’ said Janet. ‘Come on, now, time to go find a goal ring – you can use any of the free courts – and have a go. Don’t expect to get it right straightaway, though. Just try to get a feel for it.’

  Maddy and Prani raced to the goal post at the end of court three. Prani tried the position and aimed the ball at the goal ring. The ball didn’t even make it high enough to reach the ring!

  ‘This is hard!’ she exclaimed.

  But Maddy wasn’t watching Prani. Her gaze had been caught by Phoebe, who was practising at the other end of their court.

  ‘Hey Prani, come and look at this. Phoebe’s really good! How come she can do it so perfectly already? She’s 12, the same age as us …’

  Both of the girls stood still and watched Phoebe shoot with her body perfectly positioned. She bent her knees slightly, just as Janet had told them to, then sprung up. The ball sailed straight through the goal ring! Phoebe caught the ball before it hit the ground, repositioned herself, and shot again. Once more, the ball went straight through the goal ring.

  ‘Wow,’ said Prani.

  ‘Yeah, wow,’ Maddy agreed. ‘Okay, give me a go.’

  Her first few attempts fell short or wide of the goal ring, but after a while, Maddy managed to hit the goal ring and, finally, after many, many tries, she got two through in a row!

  Maddy was so absorbed in what they were doing that she was surprised when Janet called them back together.

  Great! thought Maddy. Time for game play!

  She raced over with the other girls to where Janet stood, between courts one and two. Maddy couldn’t wait to hear which position she would be playing in the practice match.

  But she quickly realised that Janet wasn’t wearing a whistle. Nor was she holding the position bibs. Instead, Janet was looking down at a large bag at her feet, which had the Marrang club logo on the side. When everyone was gathered around her and the voices had subsided, she smiled up at the girls.

  ‘Today is the day you get your netball uniforms!’

  Prani grabbed Maddy’s arm and squealed in excitement, and all the girls rushed forward, eager to be the first one to have her uniform.

  Janet held up a hand and the girls stopped their playful pushing. ‘You’ll have to be patient because I need to make sure you get the right size.’

  Maddy and Prani grinned at each other. Finally! With their own special uniform, they would feel like proper netballers.

  ‘You know what we need to do now, don’t you?’ Prani whispered to Maddy.

  ‘What?’

  ‘We need to get ribbons!’ Prani giggled. ‘Matching ribbons!’

  Maddy laughed. ‘Yeah, pink ones!’

  When Janet called Maddy’s name, Maddy raced forward and took her uniform. Waving goodbye to Prani, she hurried over to her mum, who was leaning on the bonnet of their black car, talking to Sienna’s mum.

  ‘Mum, look!’ Maddy held her uniform out carefully, in both hands.

  Maddy’s mum straightened up. She had the same long brown hair and athletic build as her daughter. ‘Ooh, nice! I like the side panels with “Marrang” written in pink.’

  Maddy’s eyes shone with excitement. She let the soft, silky drapes of the short dress slip lightly through her hands. The contrasting royal blue and pink colours of the club shone in the fading sunlight.

  ‘I can’t wait to wear it to our first game on Saturday!’ Maddy said, giggling, as she climbed into the car. She couldn’t stop grinning as she clutched the uniform and inspected every single centimetre of it.

  They backed out of the carpark and drove along the dirt track that wound through the gum trees and around the football oval, before turning onto the main road in the direction of home.

  ‘Now remember, don’t lose it. We can’t afford to replace it,’ Maddy’s mum cautioned.

  ‘There is no way I will ever lose this uniform. It’s so awesome! Besides, how could l? I’m going to wear it all day on Saturday, and won’t take it off till I get home!’

  ‘Okay, okay. Although, I guess if you did lose it, you could always wear my old netball uniform. You know – the pleated wrap-around skirt with the velcro waistband. Gorgeous!’

  ‘No way!’ said Maddy, laughing.

  Chapter Three

  On Saturday morning, Maddy tried to hide the smile lurking at the sides of her mouth as she walked into the kitchen. She busied herself filling her drink bottle, wondering how long it would take for her dad to notice that she was all ready for netball in her new gear. She could feel the soft cushioning of her brand-new runners hugging her feet as she walked. Her netball dress hung loosely from her shoulders, and her bike shorts fit snugly underneath.

  ‘Woohoo! Look at you!’ her dad called out, when he finally glanced up from reading the newspaper.

  Maddy did a little twirl for him.

  ‘Now, you know I’m driving you in today,’ Dad said, standing up from the table, ‘but I can’t stay for the game.’ He grabbed the keys and the container of orange quarters he’d prepared for Maddy and the team.

  ‘You ready?’

  ‘Ooh, wait! I just have to get my ribbons,’ said Maddy as she dashed to her room and back. ‘Prani will kill me if I forget to wear them.’

  Maddy followed her dad out to the car. She knew he was only dropping her off on his way to quote on a building job. But suddenly she realised that this meant she’d have to walk in on her own. Where was she was supposed to go when she got to the courts? What if she couldn’t find her team? She was starting to feel jittery and didn’t like the feeling at all.

  I wish Dad was coming in with me, she thought.

  But Maddy was lucky. When the car pulled into the carpark next to the courts, Maddy saw some of her teammates clustered straight ahead, behind court four.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Maddy started at the sound of someone knocking on the car window. It was Prani, standing waiting for her with a cheeky smile.

  ‘Prani!’ Maddy exclaimed as she jumped out of the car. ‘You’re not late!’

  ‘I know. It’s a miracle!’ responded Prani, and they both laughed.

  Maddy said goodbye to her dad and then ran with Prani over to her teammates. As they approached, they heard Jade’s confident chatter.

  ‘I’ve been practising goaling and I’m getting really good, so I’ll probably be Go
al Attack today,’ she said. ‘Hey,’ she continued, when Maddy and Prani had joined the group, ‘we’ve all got new runners.’ She looked closer at Maddy’s. ‘Where did you get those?’ she muttered, smirking.

  ‘From the market,’ Maddy replied uncertainly.

  ‘Yeah, I thought so,’ said Jade.

  Maddy looked at the runners the other girls were wearing. Her heart sank as she realised that they were all wearing big-name brands and hers were just plain. Compared to theirs, her new shoes looked ugly and stupid. Maddy felt the smile drop from her face. She looked around at the others but no one seemed to have noticed what Jade had said. They were all talking among themselves.

  Maddy turned away from Jade, who had started to boast about how many goals she had scored in her practice session, and walked to the side of the court. She sat on the bench. The warm breeze whipped flurries of leaves and rubbish around her ankles. She smoothed her bright new uniform over the top of her thighs.

  As she sat, her eyes wandered over to some of the older girls, who were busy doing their pre-game training drills. They were throwing long passes to each other and made it look so easy. Maddy wondered if she could ever play like them.

  They probably have the right runners to play in, she thought glumly.

  But then something caught her eye: she noticed that one of the best players in their team had the tattiest, dirtiest runners she’d ever seen. And yet when she took off after the ball, she was so fast that none of the other girls seemed to be able to keep up with her.

  Seeing this made Maddy smile. She didn’t care anymore what Jade thought. She would run her fastest and show Jade that having the best shoes didn’t change her speed one single bit.