Star on the rize: Jazmin Clark's meteoric rise in Victorian netball ranks has won her a contract with Casey Demons in the Victorian Netball League’s Under-19 competition.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
Jazmin Clark will be a Cat and a Demon in 2023 after signing a player contract to appear for Victorian Netball League Club Casey Demons in the midweek Under-19 competition in 2023.
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The Kyabram-based 18-year-old, who hopes to study occupational therapy or exercise and sports science at Bendigo next year, will spend 2023 playing with Casey Demons and Mooroopna’s A-grade Goulburn Valley league team.
In April this year Jazmin, who is not only a sports star but also community minded, raised more than $6000 for children’s charity Variety by donating 46cm of her hair.
A gifted athlete the Year 12 graduate took home the title of the fastest female swimmer in the school at this year’s college carnival.
She graduated from Kyabram P-12 College this year having spent the winter playing on a Wednesday evening with Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League and with Goulburn Valley league Mooroopna on Saturday.
Casey Demons, formed in 2019, is based at Cranbourne and is one of 10 VNL Clubs. They offered Jazmin a full playing contract for the 2023 season
Jazmin, and mother Jen, spent hundreds of hours on the Hume Fwy travelling to Geelong — where despite the teenager having only a training partner contract (similar to a rookie-listed AFL footballer) she made her division one debut with the Cougars after impressing in Under-19 ranks.
The travel time for the Clarks will continue to be six hours (to Cranbourne and back) as Jazmin completes twice a week pre-season training with the club.
She will also be a key player with ther Di Hanslow, continuing the strong Kyabram flavour at Mooroopna, of the GV Cats A-grade squad next year.
In between all of the netball commitments Jazmin is working at the Albion Arcade’s Char Grilled Chicken, where she has worked for the past 12 months.
“During netball season she has only two shifts, but in the off season is there more regularly,” mother Jen explained.
She said her daughter had played nine games with Geelong at Under-19 level and one division one game.
“She played played in attack and centre with the Cougars, but Casey Demons has offered her a full player contract as a defender.”
Jazmin will continue to be Kyabram based, commuting between university in Bendigo, her Cranbourne Casey Demons commitments and Mooroopna.
She is one of three Clark siblings, older brother Thomas having played football with Lancaster last year and 14-year-old Charlie is part of Kyabram’s Under-15 squad.
Jazmin played in the Kyabram district league and for one season at Kyabram before following decorated netball coach Di Hanslow to Mooroopna.
“Di coached her in a lot of development squads and it was an easy decision for Jazmin to follow her to Mooroopna,” Jen said.
Mooroopna had four teams involved in the GV finals last year and Jazmin played in both its losing A and B-grade preliminary final teams.
She was captain of the B-grade team, having last year won the Under-17 best and fairest while playing as a defender.
She showed her durability by moving back to her familiar goaling role to win this year’s B-grade best-and-fairest award.
She made 10 A-grade appearances for Mooroopna this year and also trialled for the state Under-19 side.
Her services were sought by multiple GV clubs for 2023, but she will remain a Cat under the direction of Hanslow.
Multi-talented: Kyabram's Jazmin Clark raised money by donating her hair to Variety's Hair with heart.
Photo by
Anna McGuinness
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