Netball NSW has named its 2026 17U State Team \u2014 a standout group of emerging athletes whose skill, diversity and hunger for success set a thrilling platform for next year\u2019s National Netball Championships. Selected from one of the state\u2019s most extensive and competitive trial processes, this team showcases the very best of New South Wales\u2019 next generation. General Manager of Performance and Pathways Mardi Aplin said the pathways system continues to deliver outstanding young talent from every corner of the state.\u000f\u000f\u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting team. The 17U selections are always such a huge trial process that began eight weeks ago in the regional areas of New South Wales and then it finally came through to the final phase on the weekend at Netball Central,\u201d Aplin said.\u000f\u000f\u201cWe\u2019ve got some experience returning from the 2025 NSW team, along with some new athletes who have not been in programs before, so it\u2019s a really exciting group to work with.\u201d\u000f\u000fThe 2026 team is a true reflection of netball\u2019s reach and inclusivity, featuring athletes from across metropolitan, regional and multicultural backgrounds in NSW.\u000fAplin highlighted the team\u2019s strength across the court:\u000f\u000f\u201cOur shooting end is tall, strong and composed. We\u2019ve got some big targets at the back and some really explosive, exciting goal attacks out in front.\u201d\u000f\u000f\u201cThe mid court is a really exciting and dynamic area. There\u2019s lots of variation within that group, with athletes who can feed beautifully and adapt across multiple positions.\u201d\u000f\u000f\u201cThe defence end has a great mix of experience and emerging strength. The combination of height, reach and on-ball pressure gives us some really strong defensive options.\u201d\u000f\u000fAplin said the strength of the 17U program is underpinned by Netball NSW\u2019s statewide pathways.\u000f\u000f\u201cThe pathways within Netball NSW are really strong at the moment. Our associations are doing wonderful things, along with the academy programs and our Emerging Teams. We\u2019ve seen most of these athletes across the last 12 to 18 months, and it\u2019s great to see regional players come through and compete with their metropolitan counterparts.\u201d\u000f\u000fShe added that the makeup of this team captures what netball stands for today \u2014 inclusiveness, opportunity and aspiration.\u000f\u000f\u201cNetball is a sport for all \u2014 whether you\u2019re from a regional area, a multicultural background or metropolitan Sydney. It\u2019s about putting in the work and seeing role models who show you what\u2019s possible. This team is exactly that. There are lots of little kids out there who will look at these athletes and think, \u2018I want to be like them one day.\u2019\u201d\u000f\u000fThe 17U State Team is coached by Baulkham Hills Shire\u2019s Nardia Trevor, who was reappointed as Head Coach of the 17U team following this year\u2019s silver-medal finish at Nationals.\u000f\u000fNetball NSW 17U State Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NAME POSITION ASSOCIATION
Akur Malueth Shooter BLACKTOWN CITY
Cheyanne Vaitusi Mid Court BAULKHAM HILLS SHIRE
Evalina Carneiro Defence SUTHERLAND SHIRE
Eve Power Defence NEWCASTLE
Isabella Christian Mid Court ILLAWARRA DISTRICT
Jessica Hugo Mid Court KU-RING-GAI
Marley Dighton Shooter KU-RING-GAI
Ruby Nero Shooter MANLY WARRINGAH
Sophie Lockyer Defence ILLAWARRA DISTRICT
Sophie Perrett Mid court EASTWOOD RYDE
Tilly Sinclair Defence HASTINGS VALLEY
Xanthia Crookes Shooter NORTHERN SUBURBS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Netball NSW has named its 2026 17U State Team \u2014 a standout group of emerging athletes whose skill, diversity and hunger for success set a thrilling platform for next year\u2019s National Netball Championships. Selected from one of the state\u2019s most extensive and competitive trial processes, this team showcases the very best of New South Wales\u2019 … Continue reading “Emerging Stars: Netball NSW Unveils Dynamic 2026 17U State Team”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36208"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36209,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36208\/revisions\/36209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}