GIANTS star Sophie Dwyer says she’s living out her life motto in her rapid rise to stardom which will come full circle on Saturday when she plays her 50th Super Netball game in the building where she got her first big break.
Firmly established as one of the country’s most lethal goalers, Dwyer’s GIANTS journey began in 2020 during the competition’s first Covid bubble after being added to the GIANTS’ line-up when clubs were allowed extended squads and up to 12 players on the bench.
After an impressive brief showing in her first game - which was at Saturday’s venue at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena back in 2020 - Dwyer received a full contract for the following season where she was preparing to play more of a supporting role until her big break came as a result of unfortunate circumstances for teammate Kiera Austin.
An ACL injury to Austin - who too hails from the Eastwood Ryde Netball Association (ERNA) - opened the door for Dwyer to step into the vacant goal attack position, with the now 22-year-old the go-to for the goal attack bib.
Taking out the SSN Rising Star award in 2021 following her ability to seize the huge opportunity presented, Dywer has quickly risen to become a star of the competition as she now prepares her 50th game in orange on Saturday.
“I know it’s been a long time since I was first introduced to Super Netball but it’s gone really quickly for me and to get to 50 games already is very special,” Dwyer said ahead of the clash with the Firebirds.
“I know many people don’t get to 50 as quickly as I have so I’m really lucky with how my career has gone to date.
The 22-year-old says a motto written on her locker is being lived out in her time as a GIANT.
“When we put a quote on our lockers, mine was ‘Life is what happens when preparation meets opportunity’,” she revealed.
“And that was all before what happened to Kiera [ACL] and getting my shot in the starting seven, and in hindsight I’m really glad I put that on my locker because I think it really sums up how my whole career has gone to date.
“It’s something I find special every time I go to training and I see it, because I think, for me, my whole journey has been about taking opportunities wherever they come. Whether that’s in the GIANTS’ dress or in the Diamonds’ dress, I just want to be put my best foot forward whenever I get a chance out on court.
“While it wasn’t an ideal situation for the team in terms of having an injury [to Kiera], it opened up the door for me and I definitely wanted to put my best foot forward and I guess that’s the start of what’s been the last 50 games in the GIANTS’ dress.”
In a scary sign for the rest of the competition, the ambitious star – who most recently helped Australia win the Nations Cup in England in January - says she’s far from satisfied with her current standing in the game.
“It’s really special how it’s gone for me, but I know I have so much more to give to the sport.
“As much as I’ve loved and appreciate my journey to date, I really want to keep pushing myself and see where I can take my netball.
“In my first year there was a massive spike [in my performance] and I guess I came onto the Super Netball stage without anyone really knowing me, and I think that’s where a lot of my initial improvement came. But over the last couple of years people now know me and I’ve been around for a little while so I want to make sure I don’t get complacent.
“I was lucky enough to get a lot more court time for the Diamonds in January and that’s given me so much more confidence and I really try and translate that back into the GIANTS environment to try and be really dominant in the attacking end.
“This year I want to take on more of that playmaking role and really push myself to see how dominant I can be, and I definitely got that confidence from the tour with the Diamonds.”
Known for her ability to stay cool under pressure and perform in big moments, the young star said she remains unphased.
“I’ve always been calm and composed and it’s something I really want to continue as one of my biggest strengths,” she said.
“I don’t want defenders to think they can get under my skin if they can keep niggling at me. I want them to try and do that and realise that it just doesn’t work.
“It’s definitely something I use to my advantage as it keeps me really in the moment as I don’t get too worried about all of the emotion of the game, I just play what’s in front of me.”
Turning her attention to her 50th game this week, Dwyer is confident the GIANTS can bounce back against the Firebirds after an unsatisfied showing in their season-opener against the Fever.
“Last week I think we almost got caught up in trying to get the outcome instead of going through our processes and structures that we’ve put in place.
“We had a really good review on what we need to improve on at training ad we’ve had really good communication about what we need to do to turn it around.”
Dwyer and the GIANTS will look to celebrate the young gun’s milestone match with victory over the Firebirds when the teams meet on Saturday at 5pm at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena.
