It is a very different situation now for the second-year SSN defender, Diamonds’ squad invitee and relocated Victorian, who dreamed as a young player of being a Vixen, but could not be happier with the path her senior career has followed.
Recruited by Rob Wright, continuing happily under Briony Akle, Eddy played all 14 games in that first season, and the versatile GD/WD/GK continues to be a key member of a Swifts line-up that has confounded expectations to take a 3-0 record into Saturday’s home game against the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
“To move away from home and everything, it was pretty daunting. As excited as I was, it was still pretty scary,’’ says Eddy, 22. “My boyfriend (Collingwood footballer Tom Phillips) is in Melbourne, my family and all my friends, my work.
“But I think last year I just treated everything as an opportunity, and if I got on the court that was just the best thing ever. I was like a little kid; everything was pretty cool.
“Whereas this year I’m very focused, definitely. I was saying to Briony the other week that I have no expectation other than for me to play… I’m just very determined and I think I have a lot more confidence this year to say I deserve to be here, I want to be here, and it’s not just (about) the opportunity any more.
“Swifts is an amazing environment for me to be in and I’m thriving. I’m loving it.’’
Eddy has grown into her still-fledgling SSN career, the aspiring Health and Physical Education teacher has also been conscious of the bigger picture.
When Australian Netball Players’ Association chief executive Kathryn Harby-Williams visited the Swifts to explain the role of the Confident Girls Foundation, captain Maddy Proud asked for ambassadors to champion the organisation that uses netball as a vehicle of empowerment for society’s vulnerable young females.
Eddy and her housemate Sophie Garbin’s hands were quickly up.
“It’s something I think is very important,’’ says Eddy. “Netball has definitely made me the person that I am and without netball I wouldn’t have ever thought that I’d move away from home or be able to look after myself or be as committed to things as I am.
“I’m a very strong believer in the importance of sport for girls, and I think that’s why I want to do teaching, and I love travelling and helping other people. Netball has just been massive, and the opportunities that I’ve been given and the confidence that it’s given me have been crucial in making me the person that I am today.’’
Find out more about the Confident Girls Foundation here and their annual fundraising appeal 'Give for a Goal' here.
