Netball
10 March, 2025
Caris excited by squad elevation
Former Horsham Saints netballer Maggie Caris is on the verge of making her senior debut for the Melbourne Vixens in Australia's top-flight Super Netball League.
Caris, a former AFLW player, was drafted to the Melbourne Demons in the 2020 draft, and stepped away after three years to focus on netball.
Caris has been a training partner with the Vixens for four years and was recently elevated due to starting goalkeeper Emily Mannix having a baby and taking maternity leave.
Caris gets a chance to audition for the round one team, with a pre-season cup this weekend in Adelaide, from Friday March 14 to Sunday March 16.
Caris is excited to get the opportunity to show her skills ahead of a potential round one debut on April 4.
"I have been elevated in pre-season camps before, but not for games, so to get this opportunity in the pre-season cup is exciting," Caris said.
"I have been working hard, trying to do the extra one percent, taking every opportunity to do additional work when I can, going to training and games with an open mind, and learning as much as possible.
"I have big shoes to fill, and I want to keep training away and become a competitive, driven player, match it with the girls in the big league, and make sure I am a confident and consistent player should I get the opportunity."
Caris explained the extra work she has been doing, and why it is helping her netball.
"I have been refining skills and ensuring the fundamentals are done right," Caris said.
"The key thing is the Vixens coaches are great people and have a great depth of knowledge.
"They make sure we nail a few things like repetitive passing and footwork drills, and they go over it a lot. It's beneficial and about building those skills to help with consistency."
Caris said the pre-season cup is a good opportunity for the team to gel.
"We play four to five games, and it's a good opportunity to get the combinations right, get some confidence in them, and keep refining skills with practice and the pressure and pace of netball," Caris said.
"It's great to get away as a group and see how we are matching up against teams, and it's nice to gauge where everyone is sitting in the rest of the competition."