Vixen young gun taking all before her

By Matt Fotia 

Zara Walters has taken like a duck to water in her first Suncorp Super Netball season. 

It’s no easy feat for a 20-year-old to step up and deliver week in, week out, especially after a long injury layoff. But for Walters, she credits her exposure to the regional courts of Geelong Football Netball League for her impressive start.  

Walters, who had been a part of the Colac A Grade side since the age of 15, has received plaudits from several pundits about her maturity on court, something she says comes from her time in the Tigers top side. 

“One thing I’ve always said is playing against older bodies from a young age helped me get used to taking those hits, and it has definitely helped me cope with the stronger bodies and the pace of the SSN as well,” Walters explained. 

Signed after the departure of Origin Diamonds captain Liz Watson, Walters showed why the Vixens were eager to claim her signature during the pre-season, impressing at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup in March. 

She quickly went from understudy to starting seven, with Hannah Mundy suffering an injury which opened the door for Walters to take the wing attack bib for the Vixens opening game of the season against the Mavericks. 

Walters played every minute of the first two rounds, against the Mavericks and the Thunderbirds, and posted impressive numbers recording 70 feeds, 39 assists and 42 centre pass receives across the opening fortnight. 

The young gun said she went out with a point to prove. 

“I got the opportunity through Hannah’s injury and took it with both hands,” she said. 

“I really wanted to prove a point that I could play in this league. 

“It was nice to not have time to get nervous about it and get thrown in the deep end to show everyone what I can do.” 

Adversity is never far away of course. 

Walters was pulled out of the Vixens squad before their round 4 game and missed over two months of netball thanks to hot spots in her back, which if left alone would likely have developed into stress fractures and a much longer stint on the sidelines. 

“It was my first ‘serious’ injury,” said Walters. 

“It was a tough one, especially after playing three games that I was really happy with at the start of the season and being on such a high to finding out (about the injury), which was quite a low.” 

Walters was not lonely in the physio room at the Vixens. Simone McKinnis’ side have had to handle a number of injuries to key players across 2024, with defender Kate Eddy spending a significant amount of time with Walters on the injury list. 

While Walters would never wish harm upon anyone, it was handy to have someone like Eddy by her side throughout the rehabilitation process. 

“Kate and I spoke about it a lot,” she explained. 

“Obviously, we wouldn’t wish injury upon anyone, but we were quite happy to have each other to help throughout that period. 

“It was nice to be able bounce things off each other and push each other through those tough times.” 

Both players have returned to the Vixens line up in recent weeks.  

Walters has hit the ground running again, producing the best performance of her short career in the Vixens nail-biting round 13 loss to the Fever. 

In just her fifth game Walters showed true leadership and poise on court to finish as the Vixens best, racking up 48 feeds, 28 assists, 17 centre pass receives, 16 second phase receives and 113.5 Nissan Net Points. 

“It wasn’t my focus,” she said. 

“We wanted to really perform as a team after the Adelaide game and to bounce back. 

“But coming back from injury, to come back out there and be able to perform consistently was something I was really happy with. 

“It helps when your surrounded by Sophie Garbin, Kiera Austin and Kate Moloney, they give you a lot more confidence to just go out there and play.” 

The Vixens had been ladder leaders for a sizeable chunk of the season, but consecutive losses to the Thunderbirds and Fever have put the brakes on their charge towards the finals. 

Walters says there was major differences between the two performances. 

“They’re two different losses,” Walters stated. 

“Against Adelaide we felt we didn’t really play our style of netball. 

“Whereas against the Fever I thought we brought ourselves back into the game, but it was just our basic skills and a few errors which cost us. 

“Those losses are a part of our journey, so taking them and learning from them will hold us in good stead leading into finals.” 

Not everyone has the chance to finish their debut season with a finals campaign, let alone a genuine shot at a premiership, but finals success is ingrained in Walters, who is coming off back-to-back premierships with Colac in the Geelong Football Netball League. 

“Winning back-to-back premierships with Colac was a special moment with all my friends and family around, but these finals are a bit different,” she exclaimed. 

“Everyone strives for finals, so to get there in my first year of SSN is a great opportunity and we’re really excited to take it on as a team.” 

“The calibre of our team definitely has the potential to win that flag. 

“We’re taking it week by week, but obviously everyone’s end goal is the premiership.”