Left: Narre Warren netballer Travis Clarke has been selected to play for Australia in an upcoming international
By Glen Atwell
NETBALL is the love of Travis Clarke’s life and the 16-year-old from Narre Warren is only too proud to admit it.
Clarke’s passion, enthusiasm and desire to be the best he can has landed him a chance to play with a national men’s team.
The stellar centre and wing defender was selected in the under-17 national men’s team after Clarke impressed talent scouts at a recent state grand final.
“It was Victoria and Western Australia in the national league grand final,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to get the call up to the Aussie side, it’s a great thrill.”
After toying with football in his junior days, Clarke quickly discovered that netball was his calling card.
“I’ve played netball most of my life, I tried other sports but playing netball is what I do best,” he said.
Clarke said playing the centre position was a demanding role and he had had to learn to use his energy efficiently.
“The fitness required to play netball is different to other sports,” he said.
“You can’t just run the whole game, you need to conserve energy and use it in bursts.”
The Beaconhills College student said he was looking forward to representing Australia in the near future.
“There is a tournament coming up before the end of the year, I’m thrilled to be playing for my country,” he said.
Forgetting about the rules of the game, it looks like Clarke has taken a definite step in the right direction.
tournament.
Picture: Meagan Rogers.
