Mackay’s Shaylah Pershouse one cut away from earning Queensland U17 selection

A budding netball star is on the cusp of the most important team selection of her life. You won’t believe the hurdles she has overcome just to get this far.

Mackay talent Shaylah Pershouse is gunning for selection in the Queensland U17 side. Picture: Mitch Bourke.

One final cut.

It’s all that stands between one of Mackay’s brightest netball prospects, Shaylah Pershouse, and selection into the Queensland U17 side.

The final trials are taking place in Brisbane this weekend, with the squad of 16 culled to to the final 12 the weekend after.

Fortunately Pershouse, aged just 15, is no stranger to Brisbane given she’s been flying to the state’s capital every weekend for the past 10 or so weeks.

That’s about 25 total hours in the air, and close to 20,000km covered.

“It’s a really great experience,” reflected Pershouse.

“Flying to Brisbane every weekend is really tiring, it makes me physically tired, but that’s something I have to overcome.

“It’s really good to get coaching from different coaches, I’m learning so much.”

Mackay Netball operations manager Sharon Sutherland lamented how difficult it is for Mackay-based players to achieve success in the sport, with the demanding travel requirements serving as a major roadblock.

While Netball Queensland has covered the costs associated with flying to Brisbane for compulsory training, Pershouse and her parents have had to dip into their own pockets for every non-compulsory training. It’s a remarkable testament to their commitment.

Sutherland estimated only a handful of players from the region have been in such a position, and couldn’t recall the last time a Mackay player cracked a representative side of this significance.

“It would be a big occasion,” Sutherland said.

Shaylah Pershouse was joined by Kacee Ziegeler and Tenille Cotteron a netball tour of the UK and France earlier this year. The pair were afforded the opportunity to test themselves against Europe's best and learnt from a variety of coaches. Picture: Mackay Netball Association Facebook.

Pershouse revealed her rise had occurred rather quickly, even catching her off guard initially.

“I’d never made it further than Mackay teams, until last year I made the Queensland School team,” Pershouse said.

“That was a big shock. I was like, ‘okay, I can do this’.

“For the past two years I’ve really stepped up my work ethic and how hard I train.

“It clicked in my mind that this is a profession to me and it’s something I’ll always work hard at.”

And her dream?

“Playing for the Australian Diamonds, that’s the end goal,” she said.

“But I’d have to play for the Firebirds first.”

She’s already taken a significant step towards the latter, earning selection as one of three Mackay players in the inaugural Mackay branch of the Firebirds Futures Academy, along with Kate O’Brien and Christa Nissen.

Four regional branches of the academy were launched in November, with the aim of aiding the development of the brightest netball talents outside of south-east Queensland.

Mackay Firebirds Futures Academy coach Rebecca Hagenbach, and players Christa Nissen, Kate O'Brien and Shaylah Pershouse. Picture: Mitch Bourke.

“It’s really just preparing them for a high performance space, so if they’re wanting to become elite athletes it gives them that little taste, but they don’t have to leave the regions,” said Mackay academy coach, Rebecca Hagenbach.

“It’s hugely beneficial, just because it’s not something they had access to, it’s a new program that has only been in the south-east previously.

“They’re wanting to keep the numbers quite low so it’s really impactful. For the girls to have access to those sorts of high performance behaviours … they just wouldn’t get that otherwise.”

Hagenbach hopes it means netball can one day compete with the likes of hockey, where Mackay has successfully been tapped into as a goldmine of talent for Queensland and Australian teams.

Pershouse has found the academy particularly beneficial to her development.

“We get information straight away of what selectors are looking for and how they want their players to be,” Pershouse said.

“Just getting that inside information on what selectors are wanting has helped me improve my game.”