Month: June 2022

Position: WD, GD
Date of Birth: 6^th April 2003
Place of Birth: Hervey Bay, Queensland
Junior Club: Bay Bullets, Hervey Bay
Occupation: USC Student, Business and Creative Industries, majoring in Acting

After trying out all sorts of different sports, Grace started playing netball at around 10 years old much to the delight of her mother, highly accomplished netball coach, Kerrieanne Farrelly. In fact, Grace credits her mother as both her netball and personal inspiration. As Grace says of her mother “She’s had the biggest journey through her life, she’s gone through so much, and she’s a very strong woman because of that “.

When Grace is not playing and training for the USC Thunder Ruby team, she enjoys all the usual Sunshine Coast aspects of life like going to the beach, being outdoors and hanging with friends.

Grace enjoys the culture at USC Thunder and with hard work, hopes to progress to HART Sapphire series and then upwards to Sunshine Coast Lighting at some stage in her future.

Highlight of Netball Career so far

Being the first Hervey Bay netballer to be selected in a Queensland squad was a big deal in 2021 but 2022 was even bigger with selection in the Tonga National Netball team for the PacificAus Sports Netball Series held in March where Tonga claimed victory in the final, 60-52, over the Fiji Pearls. On representing Tonga Grace was humble, “Honestly, I think it was a very, very long-term goal because it’s international, so I never thought I’d get to that, so close, so early in my career being 19 so not what I was expecting”. This young netballer was also very aware of how much joy this win gave to the Pacific nation after the run of natural disasters and covid had wreaked havoc on it. Grace hopes to again represent Tonga in future.

Sponsor: Hervey Bay Hotel & Resort

Grace feels incredibly fortunate to be sponsored by Hervey Bay Hotel & Resort.

Situated on The Esplanade with stunning views of the beach and Fraser Island. “The resort features budget friendly accommodation, relaxed atmosphere, magnificent views, full Bar and Restaurant facilities; ‘Fig Tree Bistro’, pool and a full range of conference facilities and equipment hire.” An excellent choice to stay to at or enjoy an alfresco meal. Visit the Hervey Bay Hotel & Resort here or Facebook for more information.

This famous Hervey Bay institution has always been community-minded and Grace’s history with them goes back to their sponsorship of her local Bay Bullets team. Every time she runs out on court she hopes to make Bee (Hervey Bay Hotel & Resort owner) proud.

Fun Fact

When Grace was 12 she got cast as an extra in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie but didn’t end up doing it because “I was scared and it was too far to travel”.

Words By Kirralee Livingstone

The USC Thunder have fought back after last rounds close loss, smashing the Wildcats in a convincing win of 67-48 in their round 3 clash.

In the first quarter, Lee-Jones was ready to strike, getting the first four goals of the game, one after the other.

This was followed up by one goal from Lawrie, then another two from Lee-Jones, before Wildcats called for a timeout five minutes in.

The timeout seemed to help get the Wildcats back on track, scoring three consecutive goals.

The remainder of the quarter was back and forth with goals being scored, however in amongst it all, Lee-Jones scored a double and a triple towards the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Wildcats had a similar start Thunder had in the first, scoring three consecutive goals, then a double after one goal from Lee-Jones, prompting a timeout for Thunder.

After a little bit more struggle, Thunder started to find their feet, with Lee-Jones getting a triple.

The rest of the quarter was a great contest and very close with goals, and although Thunder was still in the lead, the Wildcats had secured the win for the quarter.

After the first half break, Thunder came out determined for the third quarter, with Lee-Jones scoring eight goals in a row, prompting a Wildcats timeout after the first six consecutive goals.

Following the timeout, Lawrie and Lee-Jones were on fire, scoring seven consecutive goals between the two of them, making their lead soar.

The final goals were quite even between the two sides, but was clear Thunder were dominant over the Wildcats to start the second half off.

In the final quarter of this exciting match, it was again even between the two teams, until Lawrie and Lee-Jones scored five consecutive goals.

Wildcats started to fight back, getting a triple right afterwards, and ended the quarter with five goals in a row.

However, it wasn’t enough to secure the win, and Thunder were victorious in an impressive effort against the Wildcats.

The USC Thunder’s next game will be against the Tigers on the 14^th of May at 5:00pm at the Nissan Arena.

Q1: USC Thunder 19 –12 Wildcats

Q2: USC Thunder 32 -29 Wildcats

Q3: USC Thunder 52 -33 Wildcats

Q4: USC Thunder 67 -48 Wildcats

Thunder starting seven: GS- Annika Lee-Jones, GA-Annie Lawrie, WA- Emma Walters, C- Ava Black, WD-Gemma Cowin, GD- Leilani Rohweder, GK- Birdey Condren

Substitutes: Brianna Martyn, Nalani Makunde and Amy Metcalf

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sapphire Series or its clubs

Words By Kirralee Livingstone

USC Thunder have come short in a fiery battle against the Jets in their round two match, losing 41-43 despite their first half lead.

The first quarter started well for the Thunder, with GS Lee-Jones scoring the first goal of the game.

After one goal from jets, GA Lawrie retaliated with three consecutive goals, despite many intercepts and lost balls on both sides during the game.

Due to the ball being in loose possession for both sides, the goals were very back and forth for the two teams.

However, towards the end of the quarter, Lee-Jones got a double, and then ended the quarter with a goal for Thunder.

The second quarter did not have a goal for a while to start off with, however the score board slowly climbed as the fifteen minutes ticked down.

Although Jets got the first goal for the quarter, Lawrie and Lee-Jones quickly responded with one goal from Lee-Jones and two from Lawrie, resulting in three consecutive goals.

The quarter remained equal between the two sides until the end of the quarter, where Lee-Jones scored two goals in a row and one goal followed by Lawrie, to secure their lead.

Unfortunately for Thunder, the second half is where thing start to decline for them, with Jets having a particularly dominant third quarter.

At the start of the quarter, Lawrie got a double, however Jets responded with an impressive six goal streak.

Lee-Jones got most of the Thunder goals in this quarter, however lost their lead by the end of the quarter due to the high level of attack Jets were showcasing.

The final quarter was a very close and low scoring quarter, as was the whole match.

Thunder started strong again, with Lawrie getting a double followed by one goal from Lee-Jones, however the Jets were too good for USC, beating them only by 2 points.

Q1: USC Thunder 10 – 7 Jets

Q2: USC Thunder 22 -18 Jets

Q3: USC Thunder 33 -36 Jets

Q4: USC Thunder 41 -43 Jets

Thunder starting seven: GS- Annika Lee-Jones, GA-Annie Lawrie, WA- Brianna Martyn, C- Emma Walters, WD-Amy Metcalf, GD- Leilani Rohweder, GK- Birdey Condren

Substitutes: Gemma Cowin and Nalani Makunde

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sapphire Series or its clubs