GWS Fury netballer Eliza Perkins coming along in giant leaps and bounds
She has given up a lot to play netball so it was no surprise this happened when Eliza Perkins was given some good news.
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When Eliza Perkins heard she had made her first NSW netball team after three years of trying she burst into tears.
So did her mum when she rang to tell her.
The pair have spend hundreds of hours in the car over the years driving Perkins backwards and forwards to training and matches as she works towards her goal of being a professional netballer.
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The 18-year-old said it was why she and her mother were so emotional when they heard the news.
“Netball means so much to me. I have moved to Sydney for it. I’ve sacrificed a lot for netball and so has my family,” said Perkins who grew up on a cattle farm.
“At the start of 2019 I was OK but now, with my family six hours away, I get home sick.
“But making this team makes it all worth it.
“When I made the under 17 development squad we used to drive back and forth from Gunnedah to Sydney.
“We did about 45 trips to Sydney for weekend training and game.
“It was 11 to 12 hours so it was a big commitment from my mum and family.”
Last season was also a big one for Perkins who played for GWS Fury, a joint venture between the Blacktown City and Baulkham Hills Shire netball associations, and was part of the team which won the under 23 NSW premier league.
She was also recently named in the NSW under 19 team to contest the Australian championships in Hobart in April.
“I have been trialling for four years and this was the first year I finally made it,” said Perkins, who lives and works at Parramatta.
“I was in such shock. I burst into tears.
“My mum called me and she was crying too. We were just so happy.”
Perkins goal is to help NSW to an Australian title in April and push to be included in either the Swifts or Giants Academies this year.
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