Missed Selection? Why Your Start Doesn't Decide Your Netball Finish

Non-selection and injury happen to all of us, including the elite. Nobody is immune.

Every netball journey is different, which is why comparing yourself to your peers is one of the least useful things you can do. Their path isn't your path.

I played for Australia, and I also…

I played for Australia, and I also missed out on the Echuca Primary School Grade 5/6 netball team when I was in Grade 5.

I played for Australia, and I also missed out on every Victorian State Netball team I tried out for as a bottom-age athlete.

I played for Australia, and I also ruptured my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at 20, needed surgery and had to learn how to run again.

Looking back, there were so many moments I could have given up and said it was all too hard. I chose to persevere and to see each setback as a chance to grow. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Trust me, it did. It meant I chose to stick with my passion, put my best foot forward and keep working towards my dream.

The netball pathway isn't a straight line

There's a clear pathway to the Australian Diamonds, but every individual journey through it is unique. Some players step through every stage. Some, like me, go in and out of the pathway at different points. Others don't enter it until they're senior players.

Missing a team at 12 or 14 doesn't close the door. In my experience, the players who make it are rarely the ones who never got knocked back. They're the ones who kept turning up after they did.

What to do after you miss selection

• Let yourself be disappointed. It's okay to be upset. Give it a day or two.
• Ask for feedback. Politely ask the coach or selectors what you could work on. It shows maturity, and it gives you a plan.
• Pick one or two things to improve. Not ten. Focus wins.
• Keep playing. Club netball, school netball, any court time counts. Stay around the game.
• Come back next year better. Selectors remember the player who returns improved.

So please be kind to yourself, and don't let a setback be the end of your journey.

Related reading: Train the Way You Want to Play, on the habit change that turned my own non-selection into selection.

Want a clear plan after a tough selection? Our Video Game Analysis program gives you a personalised breakdown of your game and the specific things to work on next. Find out more at ccnetball.com.

Written by Caitlyn Strachan

Caitlyn Strachan is a former Australian Diamond, triple ANZ Championship premiership player and founder of CC Netball.