Your start does not determine how you're going to finish

Non-selection and injuries happen to all of us, including the elite. No-one is immune to this.

We all take a different path in our netball journey, so we need to refrain from comparing ourselves to our peers and what they are doing.

I played for Australia, and I also missed out on Echuca Primary School Grade 5/6 school 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 at 20 years of age, required surgery, and had to learn how to run again.

Looking back on my own netball journey there are so many occasions I could have given up and said it was all too hard. I chose to persevere and saw the setbacks as growth opportunities. That doesn't mean I wasn't upset and hurt by these experiences. Trust me, I was. It meant that I chose to stick with my passion, put my best foot forward, and keep working towards my dream.

Whilst there is a clear pathway for netball and how to reach the Australian Diamonds, remember our individual journey is unique. Some players will step through every stage of the pathway. Some players (like myself) go in and out of the pathway at various stages. Others simply enter the pathway as a senior player.

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

Caitlyn Nevins