Resilient Robinson determined to rediscover the old magic

DIAMONDS midcourter Madi Robinson feared she was off the Commonwealth Games radar when she was dropped from the Australian netball side in 2017.

DIAMONDS midcourter Madi Robinson feared she was off the Commonwealth Games radar when she was dropped from the Australian netball team in 2017.

But the mindset of proving to herself that she was still up to international netball rather than proving the selectors wrong has earned the former Australian vice-captain another shot at a gold medal.

Madi Robinson has worked on the technical deficiencies to make her way back into the first-choice side for the Gold Coast. Picture: Lachie Millard

After playing in the home Quad Series, Robinson was dropped from the Diamonds for the Constellation Cup against New Zealand and stayed in the wilderness during the return Quad Series in England early this year.

But the two-time winner of the Liz Ellis Diamond award and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist went away and worked on the technical deficiencies highlighted by Australian coach Lisa Alexander to make her way back into the first-choice side for the Gold Coast.

“I guess six months ago, I was questioning whether this would be possible. It’s a huge privilege to be back in the fold,” Robinson said.

“It was more specific stuff to positioning on court. You have to have versatility and I probably pigeonholed myself a little bit into only playing wing attack. But also just some technical things about my personal game.

Madi Robinson in action at the Diamonds practice hitout at the Sunshine Coast Stadium. Picture: Lachie Millard

“I had a bit of time to work on that and get physically right but also mentally prepared to come into camp and make the most of the opportunity when I got it.’’

Having the right attitude was the key to success for the Collingwood Magpies captain who also tapped into past experiences of riding the emotional rollercoaster.

“Unfortunately and fortunately in my career, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs so I’m quite used to these moments when you have to show some personal resilience,’’ Robinson said.

“It was a bit hard to take because it came a little bit out of the blue but I’ve got a really good relationship with Lisa so getting the instant feedback helped me focus on what I needed to do.

“Heading into camp it wasn’t so much ‘I want to prove you wrong’, it was more about proving myself right and going ‘yes, I can still play at this elite level’.

“When you get close to the end of your career, you start thinking, ‘is the game past me, can I still do it?’.

Australian Netball players Madi Robinson Jo Weston, Caitlin Thwaites, Caitlin Bassett, April Brandley, Kim Ravaillion and Liz Watson at the Australian netball Commonwealth Games team announcement in February. Picture: Getty Images

“They won every game when they went away, the combinations and different changes were going so well, so I knew it was going to be challenging.’’

The Diamonds took on the Sunshine Coast Lightning at USC Stadium on Saturday in a final practice match hitout before their first pool match at the Commonwealth Games against Northern Ireland on Thursday.

Madi Robinson in action for the Magpies against the Swifts at Hisense Arena last year.

Originally published as Resilient Robinson determined to rediscover the old magic