Warwick young gun earns major prize after stellar 2020

This Rose City teen was recognised with two major awards for her triumph in a undeniably tough season.

NETBALL STAR: Warwick teen Caitlin Skaines scored two major awards for her performance this season. Picture: contributed

ONE of Warwick’s rising stars of netball has triumphed through a season of setbacks to be recognised at the state level.

Caitlin Skaines received “most consistent player” for the Darling Downs Netball Association U18s Panthers, along with the Elaine McLeod Award for Outstanding Contribution to the opens Ruby team.

Skaines said it was an undeniably tough season juggling her netball commitments with Year 12 studies and the general upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, but she wouldn’t have changed anything.

“I was shocked and stoked at the same time to receive the award, but it was good to know everything I’d put into netball had paid off,” she said.

“We had to jam so much training into such a small time, we never knew when our games were until a couple of days before, so it was very hard to juggle that and Year 12 at the same time.

“It was definitely a hectic time, but it was also good to always be able to come back to netball and have that time to de-stress.”

With high school studies behind her, leaving her future in education and work wide open, Skaines said her love for netball and sport would never waiver.

“Netball is still going to be there, I’m still going to trial to play in the Panthers opens team and hopefully do it all again next year,” she said.

“I’m definitely not looking at giving up netball – it’s going to be something that sticks around for a little bit.”

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