Star Albany shooter takes another step towards her netball dream after selection in WA under-17 netball squad

Star Albany shooter Jade Dimer is a step closer to her dream of playing top-level netball in Australia after being named in an initial WA under-17 squad. The talented netballer made the transition to Perth last year to pursue the sport and is already reaping the rewards. Dimer will play 20-and-under for East Freo Sharks in the WA Netball League, the premier competition in the State. She hopes to one day run out on court for the West Coast Fever in the Super Netball league. The 16-year-old is training five times a week in her bid to be selected in the under-17 State team that will travel to Hobart to play at the 2021 National Netball Championships in July. “I’m really happy with myself, I feel like it was a really big achievement for me to make the State squad,” she said. “It was definitely a very big goal of mine moving from Albany to Perth and I feel really grateful for the opportunity. “It feels like my hard work had finally started to pay off and I was just really excited. “Playing in the Suncorp Super Netball league for Fever would definitely be a big goal of mine but just my little goal at the moment is to get some consistent game time in WANL and make the State team and just keep progressing as far as I can go. “I have only been to one training so far but I have been really enjoying it and there’s some really good players. “I don’t fully know yet if I will make the team but I think I have a good shot at it if I keeping working really hard.” Dimer is in Year 11 at St Mary's Anglican Girls’ School and said the transition to Perth had been smooth. The WANL season starts on April 23 but she will take part in preseason games this weekend. “I wasn’t expecting everything to go this fast because I only came up last year but I think it was a pretty smooth transition and I’ve been really liking it,” Dimer said. “Everyone is super nice and super supportive at East Freo so it’s really good and I’m loving my coaches and the team and I’m excited to start the actual season and see where that goes.” She is excited about being picked for the East Freo 20-and-under team. “Firstly I got picked as a training partner so to then get moved up into the team I was really excited and wasn’t expecting it at all, so I just really excited to be able to get more game time and improve at that level,” she said. “I’m really excited to see where it can take me and how far I can push myself, I’m really excited to get pushed even more with the harder competition in 20’s at WANL.” A final team of 12 will be announced from the initial squad of 30 players in the next fortnight.