Bound seemingly for the stratosphere, a Goulburn Valley netball standout has received the biggest opportunity of her fledgling career.
Harriet Gall has worn a lot of hats already in recent months; speaking to The News in December last year, she stated it would likely be a challenge to balance them all.
Having freshly returned from a tour of Fiji with a Victorian Institute of Sport squad back then, Gall has since trialled for numerous representative opportunities interstate.
Meanwhile, all this has come while juggling commitments with Bendigo Strikers in their inaugural Victorian Netball League campaign and, of course, her hometown Shepparton Swans in Goulburn Valley League.
Now the biggest call of all for Gall — a place in the Australian under-21 netball squad to take on a four-nation showcase in what’s become a happy hunting ground in Fiji next month.
The 18-year-old enters the group of 24 athletes as a bottom-ager and one of five Victorians to earn a place in the prestigious group following trials in Canberra earlier this month.
She certainly didn’t see it coming, either.
“I was definitely surprised,” Gall said.
“We all knew we were in the selection pool for it (at trials), but I didn’t expect that I’d make it.
“There are two girls who went to Fiji last time from the VIS team who are also in this squad with me.
“We went to Canberra during this past school holidays for a training camp that went for five days and they were selecting some people there.
“I thought I’d played well at the Australian camp, but I never thought I’d be considered.”
The opportunities may well not end there, though, with the August 19-23 Fiji trip to face the host nation, New Zealand and Singapore potentially serving as a window to determine the nation’s best for September’s Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.
By the same token, there’s plenty for the young star to look forward to.
“It’ll be challenging, but I’ll look for getting the most out of it working with and learning from people in our squad from different states, who you’re normally opponents with,” Gall said.
“It’ll be nice getting to work on each other’s strengths and seeing the different styles of play to how we do in Australia; we’ll be playing at least a game or two per day.
“It’s hard being in a few different teams, but we get load management from VIS strength and conditioning so that we’re able to perform at our best and not overdo it.”
In the meantime, while that approaches, there’s the matter of guiding the Swans through their remaining league fixtures with the Strikers having now wrapped up.
An inconsistent run of form leaves the red and white contingent in seventh with an even 7-7 record, trailing sixth-placed Seymour by a game and manageable percentage.
Gall’s side will be sternly tested in the run home, with fixtures like the Murray Bombers, Cats and Bears in the offing.
“It could be challenging to make finals,” Gall said.
“Even if we don’t, just playing some of our best netball as a team and setting a foundation for next year could hopefully help us match some of the top teams.
“We’ve got to work hard to make them earn their spots, even if we can’t get there.
“It could go either way for us.”