It’s only the start for netball star Steph Wood
From Hyde Park to the world: Steph Wood has now found her place in the world of netball.
That wasn’t the case four years ago. The Townsville-born netballer had the talent growing up, was picked for age-grade teams, but struggled to land a contract with an elite sporting team. A conversation in 2014 would change what was panning out to be a short senior netball career.
“I had a conversation with one of my friends and she said, ‘why haven’t you made it?’ That was the first time I was brutally honest with myself and said ‘I don’t know what hard work is; I can no longer fall back on my natural talent’. I promised myself if I hadn’t made it to the elite level I was going to walk away and just play netball socially,” recalls Steph. “To be going into my fourth year professionally is something I reflected on at the beginning of this year and something I’m proud of.”
The ultimate reward came in 2016 when Wood made her international debut for the Samsung Australian Diamonds, followed by selection in the recent Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games team.
“I worked hard on my fitness; I’d always been told I was quite a natural at reading the game but didn’t have the fitness levels to run out a full game at the elite level, so I made a real effort to improve on my conditioning. The reward was a national title in 2017 with Sunshine Coast Lightning and a spot on the Commonwealth Games team. That dream had once felt a million miles away,” shares Steph. “While I have experienced a lot in short period, I feel like my professional career is only just starting. I’m learning what my body can do and still feel there is room to improve, but I’m excited to see what I can achieve next.”
Recently, Wood was named in the Australian Diamonds squad to compete in the September and October International Test Series that includes the first ever international netball game in Townsville.
The Constellation Cup match-up against New Zealand in North Queensland on 10 October will mark the final time the Diamonds play on Australian soil before next year’s Netball World Cup in England.
“I came back to Queensland from Sydney to play in the first ever professional team on the Sunshine Coast, so it’s pretty special to be able to take international netball to Townsville, a city that loves the game and is sports mad. Plus, it’s a place close to my heart as it’s where I was born.
“The series will also be first time we have faced England since the Commonwealth Games gold medal game and New Zealand will be hungry to get back on the court against us after missing out on a medal on the Gold Coast,” says Steph.
“Games against New Zealand are always fierce; there is so much history between us and I’m sure fans will be in for a tight contest.”
One of the rising stars of Australian netball, Wood – before donning the green and gold later this year – will focus on helping Sunshine Coast Lightning reach finals and secure back-to-back Suncorp Super Netball titles.
“We had a slow start to the year, but we know we have the players to make an impact at the business-end of the season. That’s the beauty of Suncorp Super Netball; it’s so competitive that anything can happen on the day and we will hopefully be sitting in the top four when it matters.”
Off the court you can find Wood with her puppy named Neville Longbottom.
“I’m a bit of Harry Potter nerd so that’s where the name comes from. He is a little 12-month-old dachshund. He is a bit of a rascal but I love him. You need that balance as an athlete, so to have a distraction like Neville is important; plus being back in Queensland I have my family and friends close, so there is a level of comfort in that.”
Tickets for the Constellation Cup clash against New Zealand in Townsville on 10 October are still available through the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre via tecc.net.au or by phoning 07 4771 4000.
