EXHAUSTED bodies. Warm breeze. The sound of runners stopping and starting on the asphalt. This is what netballers live for.

Tournaments are a junior netballer’s playground. Playing the sport you love with your friends for two days in a row, while scouts are on the lookout to identify talent and expose them to a high level of sport.

When Grace Markovic was 14-years-old, she made her maiden appearance in the Chisholm Under 15s state titles side. She was a staple member of their Under 15s premiership glory, slowly seeing more time on the court as the games went on. Day two was where all the glory was.

As a bottom-aged athlete, Markovic never thought she’d break into the side being amongst other girls wearing their Talent Academy and State jumpers. She took the state titles by storm, becoming a starting player during final and a force to be reckoned with in the grand final victory.

The next year, Markovic made her A-grade debut with the Rupertswood Football Netball Club in the Riddle Football Netball League (RFNL) and was a part of a team with thirteen other athletes. In the blink of an eye, she became a starter surrounded by a team of older and experienced women.

“[The coaches] just having the confidence in me to take the court so I get to see these big girls was cool. I could probably progress this further,” she told Rookie Me Central.

“If I work hard and get fit and strong and better than I could just keep going.”

Markovic impressed at a very young age, taking out best on court in Ivanhoe Netball Club’s grand final loss. Her versatility came in handy while being able to play directly against some Victorian Netball League (VNL) veterans in the Northern Football Netball League’s (NFNL) section one final.

She also claimed the MVP award for the NFNL, being the standout performer in their inter-league clash with the Geelong Football Netball League (GFNL).

Growing up in Carlton, Markovic was lucky to be able to get to the State Sports Centre with ease, now able to drive on her own. It quickly became a second home. She lives with her three younger brothers who were inseparable growing up whether that be kicking the footy, playing basketball locally or going down to the tennis courts.

She decided to go off on her own and find her place in swimming, tennis, athletics and netball.

Markovic’s school had a little oval and a netball court which was basically a basketball court. Her and her friends ended up forming a team in primary school having her and another girls mum coach for the first few years.

“We were winning most of our games, which was really enjoyable for us, and then we got a real coach and started to play a bit more competitively,” she said.

“After that, we branched out to other clubs who were a bit more high performing and pushed into the pathway system.”

Since then, Markovic has made the most of her opportunities, most recently being named the Brooke Thompson Award recipient at her VNL club Melbourne University Lightning. This award is handed to the clubs rising star, showing immense promise after having made a quick jump from the Under 19s side to the Championship level.

“Very unexpected just considering the club that I’m at has so many talented and up and coming athletes,” she said.

“To win that award was really nice to see the club recognise what I’ve been doing throughout the year.”

It wasn’t the award that gave her pride, it was achieving her long term goal playing with the other experienced athletes. 

“The Champ team has always been a goal, and getting to play amongst some of the best athletes in Victoria, that’s the next step in everyone’s pathways,” she said.

Markovic found her family with the Lightning, signing on in 2019 as part of their development squad the Lightning Bolts. 

She was elevated into the Under 19s side where she eventually captained for two years. Once the now 20-year-old’s time was up in the junior side, she was elevated right into the Championship team.

The young defender is nowhere near short for mentors. She plays with some experienced VNL heads who have built on their combinations for several seasons.

Markovic will push for a space this season coming down the defence end. She wasn’t always a star defender, initially playing as a shooter growing up. It wasn’t until Markovic started taking netball more seriously when she was shifted into the opposite end of the court.

“Having been a goaler when I was young just allows me to see different things on court than people who only play one or two,” she said.

Markovic’s versatility has played a key cog in her development, being able to play confidently across goal keeper, goal defence, wing defence, and occasionally centre.

She made her first representative team with Parkville in Under 13s then state titles with Chisholm at 14. While competing in association championships, Markovic was invited to trial in the Central East talent academy and in the Victorian state team.

She made it into the talent academy during her first two years then was selected in the Victoria Under 17s state team as a training partner in her last year.

The normal travel limit is 12 players, but due to COVID, teams were allowed to travel with 14. Markovic was chosen as one of those two extra players to travel.

Two to three weeks prior to departing for nationals, the competition was cancelled leaving many feeling empty.

Moving forward to the next year, Markovic was selected as a bottom age athlete in the Under 19s side, part of Victoria’s bronze medal team. Her state journey came to a close in 2023 but this time captaining the team.

Victoria ended the tournament without a medal, but Markovic kept on trying to look on the bright side. She persevered, competing in the National Championships returning from a stress fracture in her foot.

“The leadership opportunities with state and stuff like that is something not many people get to experience,” she said.

“Coming from a bottom-age athlete (in 2022), I just looked up to (the past players) so much for having belief in me, and that role was super exciting and quite unexpected.”

It may seem like all glitz and glamour from the outside, but making the commitment to teams such as the state side for Markovic was tough for her personal life.

“When I was in the state team, it’s basically every day and every night is training or playing, so it’s hard to commit to a lot of things,” she said.

“Even when you do have free time, you’re pretty much exhausted.

“You don’t have as much time as people who don’t do sport, which is annoying, but you get to see all of your friends at netball training and games, because you become really close with all of them so it’s still enjoyable.”

The hardest part of netball for Markovic has not been the losses, but the slower progress up the Netball Victoria pathway, not being selected into the final state team Under 19s.

“It was hard because it had been such a long time coming, and it’s really hard to stay motivated and keep doing the extra sessions when you go through the trials,” she said.

“The hardest thing has been keeping that motivation level high and to keep on doing the extra efforts, especially during COVID, because it’s all self driven.

“It’s a skill to be self driven and disciplined, but it’s really hard doing it day in, day out when sometimes you don’t see the results.”

Currently working with the newly established Melbourne Mavericks as their Community Coordinator, Markovic aspires to take her coaching journey to another level, stepping up from her current intermediate coaching accreditation to an advanced one.

Playing-wise, she looks to break into an Australian Netball Championships (ANC) team but she’s in no rush.

“My main priority is my playing pathway as well. Looking to make an ANC team in the next couple of years would be amazing, but also getting on the court at the Championship level for as much time as possible,” she said.

“I come up against some ex-SSN [Suncorp Super Netball] players and players who have been training partners for SSN.

“Being able to come up against them and come off the court knowing that I’ve done my role and that I’m close to getting to that level.

“I know that could take quite a few years, which is fine, and I’m willing to work for that.”