Demon rises to A Grade challenge

IT was only a half of netball, but what a half it was.

Introduced after the big break with her team, Mildura, swimming against the tide in a hot clash with a rejuvenated Red Cliffs at the Brian Weightman Oval Courts, young Ashleigh Morello hit the tarmac running.

“I knew I had to come out strong. I felt like I was involved in the team and so grateful to be up in A Grade,” 18-year-old Morello said of a 13-point performance which drew the Demons back into the game and featured a two-minute spell in which she scored four unanswered goals to push her side into the lead for the first time in the encounter on an unseasonably hot day.

The matchup ended in a frustrating 46 to 46 draw, but Morello enjoyed her first time playing at the top level.

“The physicality made me not as nervous as I thought I would be and helped me fit in.” she said of the step up in class,” he said. “I’m not really a physical player but if someone is physical with me it pushes me.”

Morello also said she hopes Saturday’s game will be a step towards bigger things to come.

“I knew I would probably have a chance to get a couple of minutes … I am hoping to stay with the As. It was great playing with all the girls. It was my first game with most of them and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

“I am hoping to come along as the season progresses.”

After a day in the broiling sun, Morello switched jerseys and codes and lined up for the Mildura Heat Division One women’s basketball team at the Hothouse.

“I love both of them,” she said of her dual sporting passions.

“I was surprised I got through two games and a game of basketball. I was exhausted by the end; definitely puffed,” she said of a long day – and evening – of toil.

As for the future, the teen is taking it one shot at a time.

“I am staying here for now and we’ll just see what happens later – if I do want to move somewhere and explore somewhere else, that will take care of itself.

Morello is the Mildura Golf Resort SFNL Netballer of the Week for round one. She receives a $150 voucher for the Mildura Golf Resort.