Zanardo twins play on each other in Premier League netball
ALANA Zanardo jokes that she has shared almost everything with her sister Karla, so it was strange for the twins when they lined up against each other in netball’s Premier League.
ALANA Zanardo jokes that she has shared almost everything with her sister Karla.
“We’re very close,” Alana says.
“We’ve had the same job, same group of friends, had a room together growing up.
“Pretty much everything was the same except uni degrees and boyfriends.”
So the Zanardo twins, 22, admit it was strange when they were netball opponents for the first time last month – and happened to stand one another.
Alana, a goal defence for Woods Panthers, and Karla, a goal attack for Western Jets, only learnt they would play on each other moments before the game.
“I knew I was going to start, it was just a matter of whether she was going to start and if it was in goal attack,” Alana says.
“We had a bit of a laugh about it and we had some friends out watching who thought it was pretty funny we were up against each other.
“But we didn’t really talk throughout the game and I tried to forget she was my sister.”
Karla adds: “I felt like she gave me doughnuts on court and didn’t even know me”.
As a result of a pre-game bet, Alana had to wear a Jets uniform to Woods training because the Panthers lost.
“I wanted to see her do well but I was definitely happy to win,” Karla says.
“It was good to let her know I was the top dog.”
The Zanardos began their netball journeys at the Jets as eight year olds.
They switched to Woods in 2010 because Western did not have a top-flight team at the time.
Karla returned to the Jets on a whim in the off-season.
The sisters still live at home in Fulham Gardens but made separate journeys to the game.
“There was a bit of banter going on for a few weeks prior to the game,” Alana says.
“It was an exciting week.”
Alana is already counting down to the return bout on May 8.
“It’s a day we need to win,” she said.
“I’m not wearing that (Jets uniform) again.”