TEENAGE Wodonga goalshooter Jane Cook is a surprise inclusion in the Victorian under-21 squad.
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Cook, 17, has had a breakout year — making the Victorian Flames in the Australian Netball League, the second tier national competition, winning state and association titles with Border rep teams and being part of the under-17 Victorian team that won the national title.
The 199-centimetre Cook was also picked to play a full-strength England squad in a trial game ahead of its first Test against the Diamonds almost two weeks ago.
But her latest selection is seen by Netball Victoria as a major accolade for someone well under the age limit.
Cook will be part of a squad of 12 at the under-21 nationals in Brisbane in March.
Yesterday the Wodonga Senior Secondary College student was still nursing the bruises from a torrid encounter with the English.
“I was pleased to be invited to the under-19 trials and I wasn’t going to knock back the chance to trial for the under-21 side when they asked,” Cook said.
“I never expected to get that opportunity, so it came as a real surprise.
“It feels like I’m moving in the right direction along the netball pathway.”
Netball Victoria’s Rebekah Webster said it was an extraordinary achievement given Cook’s age.
“While Jane is certainly advantaged by her height, her progress over the past 12 months can be attributed to her dedication and hard work,” she said.
“Most exciting about Jane’s game is her mid-range shot, not a common attribute for tall goalies, which brings a different dimension to her game.”
Cook said the Flames had helped her development and highlighted where she needed to improve.
“That experience, playing against older girls at that level, showed I needed to get stronger in the goal circle — I think that has happened but the game against the English showed it has to go to another level again,” she said.
“I hit the deck a few times.
“It is tough when you come up against a keeper who is pushing and shoving you around — at that level it is seen as competing for the ball rather than being pulled up as contact.
“But if I am going to continue to improve my game I need to get more movement in and around the goal circle.
“At the moment I’m seen as a holding goalshooter.”
Fellow Victorian under-17 teammate and Ovens and Murray Toni Wilson Medal winner Jacqui Newton was included in the state under-19 training squad that will compete in the national titles in Sydney in April.