Left: Sarah Kernot will be taking to the court at the State Netball and Hockey Centre for the Victorian under-17 netball side at the national championships in April.By Marc McGowan
TOORADIN netballer Sarah Kernot is celebrating her biggest achievement on the court after making the final cut for the Victorian under-17 squad for April’s national championships.
The year 11 Cranbourne Christian College student received the news on Sunday after a five-month pursuit that saw potential team members whittled down from 150 in October to the final squad of 12.
It has justified the faith recently deceased former coach Bob Cousins had in his charge.
Cousins never wavered from his claim that Kernot would “make it”, and he managed to fill the 16-year-old with confidence in his final words to her in December.
“Bob Cousins is the main reason I’ve got to where I am,” Kernot said.
“He always said he thought me and Sally (Naylor, a former team-mate at Melbourne Waverley who also was selected in the Victorian under-17 side) were his girls and we’d eventually make it.
“Sally made it in the under 15s and he wrote me a card just telling me not to give up and to keep going and my time will come.
“He was a very good motivator.”
Kernot’s selection has been a long time coming after she was first identified as a talent at under-15 level, and enduring agonisingly close misses over the past few years.
“It’s been my aim (to represent Victoria),” she said.
“I missed out for under 15s and had a few kicks in the bum, but it makes you stronger and makes you want it more. It’s nice to finally get it.
“You just sort of think, ‘If they can do it I should be able to, as well’.
“You just train harder, do the extra work, and at the end of the day if you do that you’ve done all you can do.”
The centre/wing attack has been playing netball since she was nine years old and has suited up for Tooradin, the Cranbourne South West Netball Association, Melbourne Waverley and will also play for Waverley Meadows this season.
“I love the girls I meet,” Kernot said.
“The netball girls are some of my best friends and are the ones I keep in touch with.
“You meet so many people along the way, which makes it fun and makes you love it.”
Netball also helps satisfy Kernot’s competitive fire.
“I love the competitiveness and I love winning,” she laughed.
Kernot’s passion and talent have not gone unnoticed by her coaches, who have installed her as captain on most occasions since the under 13s.
“The coaches seem to think the girls listen to me and that I interpret what they say and take it onto the court,” Kernot said.
“I’m pretty vocal out on the court.”
Kernot’s accomplishments have been earned through much blood, sweat and tears, whether it be chasing down the extra ball, finetuning her technique or pounding the pavement in the name of fitness.
It is this strong work ethic that has her mother, Judie Rundle, beaming with pride.
“I am unbelievably proud of her. She has had a lot of rejection,” she said.
“The last few years she has made the top 25 but not been picked in the final 12, so to get picked this year is a reward for her.”
Rundle, too, highlighted the importance Cousins had on her daughter’s sporting performance.
“Bob Cousins was the most inspirational thing in her career,” she said.
“He sent her Christmas cards, photos, and he really made a difference to a lot of young kids.
“He was her absolute mentor from the age of 10. It’s really sad – he believed in her like you can’t believe.”
Kernot will no doubt make him proud when she steps onto the court at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville in April for her state – and for Bob Cousins.
