2026 Netball Victoria Talent Academy athletes announced

Ten athletes from AFL Barwon’s region have been selected in Netball Victoria’s 2026 Talent Academy program – a development opportunity in the high-performance pathway for emerging athletes aged 14 – 16 years old.

With six academies across the state, the program ensures regional and metro athletes have access to coaching and resources that can assist in their progression towards state and national representation.

Headed up by Netball Victoria’s appointed pathway coaches, Talent Academy helps athletes to further their tactical and technical skills, and begin to fully grasp wellbeing and physical preparation, key components required to transition to elite pathway opportunities.

Athletes are talent identified at Netball Victoria’s major competitions, the Association Championships and State Titles, and invited to trial for their region’s academy.

From there, they train together as a region, preparing for the Inter-Academy tournament in August which is where they can be selected into the top 50 for the Victorian state team trials.

Congratulations to the following athletes:

Scarlotte Benney - Bellarine Football Netball League

Scarlett Clarke - Bellarine Football Netball League

Maya Corrigan - Geelong Football Netball League

Macey Dow - Barwon Netball Region

Arelya Hillier - Bellarine Football Netball League

Sienna McGinness - Bellarine Football Netball League

Zoe Nwankwo - Geelong Football Netball League

Lucy Nwankwo - Geelong Football Netball League

Ruby Slimmon - Geelong Football Netball League

Willow Stephenson - Bellarine Football Netball League