There are many current and former Origin Energy Premier League players lighting up the courts of Suncorp Super Netball at the moment, but it’s still pretty nerve-wracking for any athlete that makes the step up.
Jemma Donoghue may have won an Under 20s Premier League title with North Shore United in 2018 before making the move to the Manly Warringah Sapphires, but there were butterflies aplenty when she was called up unexpectedly by the GIANTS for their Round 1 Super Netball clash with the reigning champion NSW Swifts.
“Leading up to Round 1, I was feeling obviously a bit nervous but also really excited,” she says.
“At the start of the week, my expectation was that I probably wouldn’t actually debut, but thought that it would be a great experience to sit on the bench and be a part of a match day with the girls.
“But obviously with Loz (Lauren Moore) out later in the week, the chances of me taking the court were a lot higher, so I did get more nervous then.
“On the day of the game, I tried to keep myself busy as much as possible so I wasn’t thinking about the game all day. But other than that, I just followed a pretty typical match day for myself and tried to remember that as much as it is so exciting, it’s just a game of netball and I’ve played many games before.”
The common-sense approached served her well and the GIANTS edged their local rivals to claim a narrow two-goal win in the Grand Final rematch. For Donoghue it was a special victory because the defence stood up.
“I’m really looking forward to continue learning from the girls at GIANTS and keep developing my game to become the best player I possibly can,” she added.
“Now that I have a taste of netball at the SSN level, I definitely want to be a part of it some more, so I want to be ready if any more opportunities arise throughout the season.
“Long term, I would love to get a contract in the SSN with GIANTS and become a part of the environment full time within the coming years. Also, to become a Diamond one day would be an absolute dream come true, but I know that I have lots of hard work to do between now and then to reach this goal.”
And the support of her teammates at the Sapphires isn’t lost on the young defender.
“My teammates at the Sapphires are some of my closest friends so they were very excited for me to debut for the GIANTS,” Donoghue says.
“I’m so grateful to have had them in my netball journey so far, many of us are part of the SSN environment as either players or training partners so we all have very similar pathways and can match very well and challenge each other at training.
“I think that also makes us all realise how special it is to debut, so they were very proud and supportive of me.”
She may be a Sapphire now, but that wasn’t always the case, a winning with North Shore United still has a very special place in her heart.
“I would say that my highlight in the Premier League would have been winning the U20 division with North Shore United in 2018,” Donoghue reflects.
“Winning a Premiership is an incredible feeling and a huge reward for all the hard work you’ve put in throughout the season. However, each of my seasons in the Premier League have been really enjoyable and special in different ways.
“Something very important that I learnt in Premier League is adaptability. During a season, you will play lots of different people with completely different playing styles and you must adapt and adjust your game to most effectively nullify theirs.
“You have to be ready to change your game plan mid game depending on what is presented in front of you in the moment and what may or may not be working.”
She's got a wise head on young shoulders and a BIG, BIG future in front of her.
