Diamonds netball rookie Courtney Bruce ready to fly high in Quad Series

IT’S hard yakka for any athlete to travel more than an hour to and from training but netballer Courtney Bruce is happy to go the extra mile if it means she can be a Diamond.

Courtney Bruce playing Fast5 netball against Jamaican Anna Kay Griffiths.

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IT’S hard yakka for any athlete to travel more than an hour to and from training each day but netballer Courtney Bruce is happy to go the extra mile if it means she can be a Diamond.

When Bruce hooks up with her Australian squad teammates it tends to involve eight to 11 hours of flying to get there and back.

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The towering defender’s dedication to the cause is paying off for the netballer from Perth who has been named in Australian teams for both the Quad Series, which kicks off on Saturday in Brisbane, and the following Constellation Cups.

Courtney Bruce, poised to make her Diamonds debut, playing Fast5 netball against Jamaican Anna Kay Griffiths.

“Hopefully I get to make my debut in one of them,’’ said the Perth-based West Coast Fever star who toured with the Diamonds for a Quad Series earlier this year but failed to make the court.

For one of the first times in recent memory not a single player from a NSW team - in this case the Swifts or Giants - has made the upcoming Quad Series where Australia will play the Silver Ferns, England Roses and South Africa.

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The team, with the exception of Bruce, is completely comprised of Victorian and Queensland based players with training sessions held in both states ahead of the series.

The 23-year-old, a chance to take the court in Australia’s match against England on Saturday, has recently been flown to Melbourne to link up with fellow Diamonds for sessions but has done most of her preparation work on her own.

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“It was nice to be in a team environment. It can get lonely on your own some times,’’ she said.

Bruce admits she has wondered if she should relocate to a Super Netball team based on the eastern seaboard to further her netball career.

Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Courtney Bruce in Fast5 action. Pic: Michael Klein

But her overall improvement last season while still at home, has made her comfortable with her decision to stay at home

“It did cross my mind,” said the social studies student.

“ But Perth is my home. I love playing here. I’m the longest standing member of Fever now as well with seven years.”

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A standout year for Fever in Super Netball thrust Bruce into the mix for Commonwealth Games selection.

Bruce ended the year with 41 interceptions — the equal second highest tally in Super Netball — and 69 deflections which was the third highest tally.

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QUAD SERIES AND TV TIMES

Aug. 26: 3pm Diamonds v England Roses, Brisbane. NINE.

Aug. 26: 5pm New Zealand Silver Ferns v South Africa Spar Proteas, Brisbane, 9 GEM

Aug. 30: 5.30pm New Zealand Silver Ferns v England Roses, Auckland, 9 GEM.

Aug. 30: 7.30pm Diamonds v South Africa Spar Proteas, Canberra, 9 GEM

Sep. 3: 12pm England Roses v South Africa Spar Proteas, Invercargill, 9 GEM.

Sep. 3: 2pm New Zealand Silver Ferns v Diamonds, Invercargill, NINE/9 GEM