For a person that was bought up playing, watching and supporting rugby league, the toughest sport in the world, you may find it weird that I write an article on netball.
Netball was not really a sport that I enjoyed (could say that I never watched a game) and as sure as the grass is green, have never played a game either. However, now I am a fan!
And I owe this new found fanfare to my wife Kathy, Aunty Annie, and my cousin Erin Bell.
Erin Bell… you may recognise the name, and if you don’t, you should. Erin is the new breed of Australian “Diamond” that is hitting the court and doing our country proud.
Erin competed in the last World Championships where Australia won and reigned supreme over their arch-rivals the New Zealand Silver Ferns and is an integral part of the Adelaide Thunderbirds squad that in recent years has won an ANZ Championship and become a dominant team in the domestic competition.
I have known Erin for a little over 11 years, but never really showed an interest in her sporting career except for the last three or four years. My first memories of Erin’s career are phone calls my wife Kathy would have with Erin’s mother Anne. Kathy was the netballer, Anne wasn’t.
Kathy would voice her displeasure at Erin not getting a run. Normally I would switch off when these conversations took place, but the animation of the conversation got me intrigued. Kath would involve me, telling me how Erin was yet again warming the bench, and with me having coaching experience, would suggest that is what rookies would do.
I did make a suggestion one day that if she was concerned about not getting game time she should look at making a move from the NSW Swifts, which had netball legends Liz Ellis and Cath Cox leading the charge, to the other now defunct NSW team the Hunter Jaegers. I always thought to myself, if she was good enough, she should remove herself from the shadows of the great players.
Not long after making that statement, news funneled through the family grapevine, Erin was off to the Adelaide Thunderbirds. She had taken my advice, she had moved out from those shadows, but alas, as much as I would like to take credit for it, it was just one of those coincidences that happens in life.
Around that same time Holden became an integral part of the ANZ Championship and Channel 10 and One HD were broadcasting the netball. Who was playing this particular weekend, Adelaide!
I had to watch, I had to show family support. Erin took the court, and before I knew it I was cheering and Kath was cheering and abusing the opposition and the officials at the same time through the TV like I would when I am watching a Sharkies match. I was hooked.
One highlight was traveling to Melbourne to watch the Diamonds take on the Silver Ferns at Hisense Arena. The game started very scrappy with turnovers galore, no real team looked to dominate.
Erin had made some wild plays that were uncharacteristic to her game, that shocked both Kath and myself. Two supporters sitting directly in front of me were rubbishing Erin, making comments between themselves that she was making too many errors, and needed to be replaced.
I was ready to give both these guys a nudge in the back of the head when the coach made the killer replacement; Cath Cox off, Erin into the shooting position. Masterstroke; that’s all that needs to be said. Did I hear a peep out of supporters in front of me? Not a word.
I wished I showed an interest earlier, not only did I broaden my sporting interests, I also watched who I believe will be one of the next female sporting legends, although that is years away.
Her dedication to her fitness, her desire to be successful, and her current success, to me seems to be that of a meteoric rise. She has my full respect as she is doing what I have always dreamed of doing; representing.
She is representing her sport, her country, her family and most importantly herself. I have moments of star struck awe when I am around her, and she is my cousin.
Just recently, we gathered together as a family to have dinner, Erin was in Sydney for a few days. A little girl sat at another table unable to take her eyes off Erin, she had noticed a star, a star of her sport that she plays on a Saturday.
As all good sports people do Erin signed an autograph and posed for a photo; she had made that little girl’s day. That to me brings everything into perspective. Although she is my cousin, she is also a role model, a superstar of netball, a legend in the making.
I know some of you may be commenting and saying all sporting stars go through the same trials and tribulations as Erin has to get to that level, and you are right; they do.
The only way I can respond to that is to say, I have not had the privilege of experiencing other sporting stars lives, I was honoured to see a part of Erin’s, and look forward to where she ends up, and that is a future sporting legend.
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