Australian Opals centre Cayla George turns Fierce for change of pace
She should be taking to the court with her Australian Opals teammates at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but, instead, Cayla George, nee Francis, is shooting a different kind of hoop in Cairns.
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She should be taking to the court with her Australian Opals teammates at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but, instead, Cayla George, nee Francis, is shooting a different kind of hoop in Cairns.
The Australian women’s basketball representative and Melbourne Boomers’ WNBL centre was spotted playing for new club Phoenix Fierce in the opening round of the Cairns Netball Association’s Senior Division 1 competition on Wednesday night.
“Right now, I should be in Tokyo with the Opals, but unfortunately — and, fortunately — I’ve been home with my family,” George said.
“It’s been a nice time to mentally and physically have a rest, but at the same time stay ready for when I do go back.”
George said one of the main reasons she decided to play netball was to get back into a team environment.
“I haven’t been able to play basketball since March, so it was nice to get out on the court,” she said.
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“It’s a bit of a different vibe for me, a bit of an adjustment, but I enjoyed it.
“I’ve really missed the team environment.
“I’ve been around one my whole life, so to not have one for the last six months has been a bit odd.
“It was great to have that again and just to run around and get a bit of a sweat up.
“I get pretty competitive, as everyone does, so it was good to get out there and have that competitive mindset for the first time in a while as well.”
The towering shooter is no stranger to the local netball competition. In 2011, she played with Tigers and helped the club lift the grand final trophy in their debut season.
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George was on the radar of several Senior Division 1 clubs before deciding to join her former Cairns Dolphins’ teammates Naomi Moke and Jade Kennedy at the Fierce.
“My neighbour actually plays for Cutters and she was really annoyed that I chose to play for Phoenix,” George said.
“My sister plays for Tigers and last time I played was for Tigers when we won the championship in 2011, so there was a few options, but I thought I’d jump over to Phoenix.
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“I wasn’t going to play at first because I couldn’t finish the whole season and I don’t like starting something I can’t finish, but when she (Moke) went down with her achilles injury, I thought ‘you know what, I’ll just have to run around in a skirt for a minute’.”
George is hoping to return to Melbourne in the coming months to join her Boomers teammates, with the WNBL set to start on November 22.
Originally published as Australian Opals centre Cayla George turns Fierce for change of pace