Gold Coast are proud to confirm eight Titans Netball players have been selected for Queensland after an impressive showing at the recent Netball Queensland State Titles.
Although that number could grow to 10, with Tia Crombie (Cook Islands) and Brooke Marchant (Samoa) added to the Queensland Under 19 side as invitees, having missed the State Titles through International duties.
Aaliyah Frescon-Sheppard, Madison Rhind and Roxanne Rhind will join their Titans teammates in the Under 19s squad; while an impressive five players in Morgan Smith, Stephanie Aguinaldo, Ava Barrett, Harmony Topeto and Harlow Faaee will be part of Queensland's Under 17s squad in 2025.
Falling just eight goals short to the Brisbane North Cougars in the State Titles grand final, Titans Netball Under 16s coach Deanne Hamilton commended the young players, noting that the recognition of so many from the team reflects the significant dedication they put in to prepare for the tough competition.
"The State Titles is a really challenging competition.. to play that many games across three-and-a-half days and also ensuring to balance between Titans Netball putting its best foot forward to get into that grand final match, while exposing all the girls to the selectors in the hopes of getting into the Queensland squad," Hamilton told titans.com.au.
"Having that number of players be recognised is a testament to the hard work that the girls have put in, particularly with the Under 16s, to have five players selected out of a team of 12 is a great platform for the club moving forward."
Hamilton also highlighted the Under 16s remarkable achievement during the State Titles, despite being notably young with many players at the bottom age of the category.
"We had a really young squad with a lot of our players still remaining in the 16s age group next year and to have the young ones play against more experienced girls and still come away with the silver medal is awesome," Hamilton praised.
The future looks bright for Titans Netball, as both Hamilton and club's head of netball, Temepara Bailey eagerly anticipate the program’s continued growth and success into 2025.
"Having those girls showcase the skills that they did across the State Titles, then go into the Queensland camp environment and be exposed to high performance coaches, it really cements all the hard work that Temepara and the coaching team have put into the players in the club." Hamilton said.
"It just lays the foundations ready for next season and we know we have a really strong base as we continue to develop."
"It's a very exciting space and just the sheer number of athletes who trialled this year, it was really exciting to see how much depth the Gold Coast has and I'm really pumped to see who turns up for our next trials, ready for 2025."
Although Bailey looks to take on the Head Coach role of the Northern Stars in New Zealand's ANZ Premiership next year, the Silver Ferns legend will remain part of the Titans setup in a netball consultancy role.
"We want to ensure our pathway is strong and have those opportunities for young players," she said.
"We’re starting to see the fruits of it which is really exciting but obviously there’s still work to do but it’ll put us in good steed going forward.
"From afar, I'll be there to support the club and it's important to make sure we have a pathway set up for new potential management."
