Reikken Brodie was a frustrated kid for years watching his younger sister, Honor, train and play netball, coached by their mother Mary.
He finally got his chance on court as a fill-in in under-13s.
“My first touch was a ball I punched out of bounds, my Dad, a footy convert, chipped in and suggested the umpire pay deliberate out of bounds,” he recalls.
Brodie played cricket and basketball, as well as both football and rugby league as a youngster, but sometimes struggled with the physical nature of the sport played by bigger bodies in the latter.
Only now at 190 centimetres tall he is starting to grow into his body.
Brodie’s transition through the ranks of netball has been rapid.
He started with the Tarneit Titans then onto Wyndham Netball Association boy’s representative team.
He was the Tarneit Titans under-15 best and fairest winner and made his first Victorian team in the under-17s in 2022-23.
Victoria won the national title in Perth and Brodie was named in the all-star team and was the Victorian under-17 most valuable player.
It earned him selection in the under-17 Australian team.
Brodie is always up for a challenge and is now more aware of the intricacies of netball.
“As a male, netball is a more aerial sport,” he said. “My height and arm span make me a little unique in the positions I play in the midcourt.
“Women’s netball is played more in close, they would win the ball against the males if it was played that way.
“My skills also include good hand eye coordination and the short sharp movement.”
Coupled with his rise in netball, he was also playing football with the Eynesbury Eagles in the Riddell District Football League and then Werribee Districts in the Western Football Netball League.
He made Western Jets summer squad for 2023-24.
“The skills required in both games are quite similar,” Brodie said. “The fitness requirements are similar, my height and reach compliment both sports.
“My spatial awareness and ability to read the play certainly helps me.”
Brodie spends two nights a week training for football plus playing on Saturday. He was recently part of Werribee Districts under-18 premiership which he said had been one of his main focuses.
He then plays netball on Wednesday and has state netball training on Sundays. He’s currently part of the under-23 squad.
“There is a growing number of men’s teams now playing in the competition at the State Netball and Hockey stadium in Parkville,” he said “Victorian men’s netball has a fantastic pathway that sets them apart from the other states, which has seen a huge growth in the sport here.
“There are now seven really good premier men’s teams in the competition, as well as 10 division one teams.”
Having played every position throughout his years of netball, Brodie has found a home in the midcourt.
His single crowning moment in his fledgling netball career occurred at the 2024 Australian Netball Awards in Brisbane following his Victorian team’s under-23 victory at the State Netball Championships.
“I was awarded the most valuable player in the under-23 division as a 17-year-old. It blew me away. I was so grateful.”
Brodie was then selected to play for the Australian under-20 team later this year.
The year 12 student at Mackillop College wasn’t giving much away in relation to which sport he loves the most.
‘I love them both, footy gives me a good fitness base which definitely helps me on the court, and netball gives me that 360 awareness in tight spaces which conditions me for the midfield on the footy ground’.
His long term goal with netball is to play at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane if the sport qualifies.
The Don Deeble Sports Star Award is sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank, the Deer Park Club, Ascot Vale Sports and Trophies and Star Weekly Newspapers.
If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner, contact swrsportsclub@gmail.com or 0408 556 631.
