Netball
7 November, 2024
Clode's determination pays off
Jorja Clode has been elevated from 2024 training partner for the Bendigo Strikers to their 2025 Under-23 netball team after an impressive tryout in August, a massive coup for the 17-year-old.
Clode debuted for the Bendigo Strikers against the North East Blaze on Wednesday, May 15, shooting 24 goals in 36 minutes in their 45-75 loss.
She played off the bench in her second match against the Geelong Cougars, and she was instrumental late in the last quarter, scoring three goals as the Strikers won 57-51.
Clode tore her anterior talofibular ligament in her right ankle in mid-June and missed a month of netball. She returned to the court on July 27 against Ararat and, the following two weekends, had tryouts to make the Victorian State squad.
Clode had four weeks to get back to speed before the Bendigo Strikers two-day selection trial in late August.
Tryouts lasted two days and involved a warmup, quick ball drills, and gameplay. Clode impressed the selectors so much with her performance, which included no missed shots that they informed her of her selection after the first training session.
Couple that fact with the fact that approximately 100 girls tried out for the team, and with only 12 spots available and a couple of girls guaranteed selection, it shows how impressive Clode was to make the team.
Clode was ecstatic about her selection and said she was motivated by missing out on the state team.
"I was disappointed missing out on the state team and a bit upset, and it made me work harder over the next month to get selected," Clode said.
"I wanted to do everything possible to get into this team instead, and I trained hard, went to the gym, and had an excellent tryout where I didn't miss a goal.
"Being selected reinforced that it was worth training hard and the travel and gave me extra confidence."
"I am happy to be selected and look forward to seeing what happens next."
Clode's mum, Deidre Harrington, said that after missing out on the state selections, she put things in perspective, and her determination showed maturity.
"Before the state selections, she had that injury and wasn't 100% match fit. She had not played for five weeks, and being a bottom-ager, I told her that she needed to put it into perspective," Harrington said.
"Obviously, your training and match fitness does disappear when you have a long layoff, and for Jorja to come back and go out there and smash the trials, you could see she was pleased, and it showed great maturity."
Playing two games earlier in the season helped Clode. When asked what she learned from those matches that she could apply to her netball, she stated it was more about trusting herself.
"Playing in this league for the Strikers is a high standard of netball, and I learned to trust myself," Clode said.
"I played on Eliza Molino in my first game for the Strikers, and she made the Australian squad, so I just focused on what I needed to do.
"If you go in thinking your opponent is tough and focus on what you can do and what your coach wants you to do, then that prepares you."
Clode is looking forward to the next four months. The first training session will commence on November 20.
There will be a few training sessions before the end of the year, a training camp earlier in the year, and, after the training camp, a few practice matches, one of which will be against the 2024 premiers, the Hawks, who are proudly affiliated with the Hawthorn Football Club.
Clode is in her final year of VCE and has an early offer to study a Bachelor of Psychology Sciences at Latrobe University in Bendigo. She will take a gap year next year to focus on work and, more importantly, netball.
There is also good news for the Horsham Saints and bad news for the rest of the Wimmera Football Netball League teams. Clode will still be very much playing for the Saints in 2025.
This year, for the Saints in A-grade, she won the league goal-shooting with 599 goals. In her final year of the under-17s, she secured her third consecutive premiership and won her second best-on-the-court medal, shooting 41 goals in the victory.
"They let us play both, and while the draw isn't released yet, generally, most games are played on a Wednesday night or Sunday afternoon, which makes it easier for our respective teams to play," Clode said.
"They monitor us closely, and through the monitoring, they can see if we get fatigued, and if we do, they can limit our court time, but they are more than happy for us to play netball with our other clubs."
On her announcement, the Bendigo Strikers noted that she is an accurate goal shooter with great rebounding skills and that they can't wait to see what she brings next season.