By Henry Alt
Queensland 19 and Under captain Ellie Brice may be about to her lead her state at the National Netball Championships in Sydney, but growing up in a sports-loving family in Gympie didn’t always indicate that the netball court was her ultimate destination.
Brice’s mother put her initially into athletics, while her father and brothers gravitated towards rugby.
Eager to carve out her own path however, Brice picked up netball in Grade 6 and hasn’t looked back.
“I just wanted to find a sport that I could really call my own,” Brice said.
“Once I started playing netball, I absolutely loved it.”
Her talent and drive led to her breakthrough into Queensland’s elite pathways, playing for Sunshine Coast Thunder before moving to Brisbane North Cougars in 2024.
This move saw Ellie come under the guidance of legendary coach Liz White and her reputation of developing some of Queensland’s finest netballers.
“Liz has such a crazy eye for finding exactly what you need to work on,” Brice said.
“She’ll make sure you drill it until you’re super confident in that area.”
Known for explosive pace and versatility - she can play across all three mid-court positions - Brice adds a dynamic advantage to any team.
“My preferred position is wing defence, but I’ve been developing my game in centre as well, working on feeding the ball and controlling the play.”
Ellie’s leadership skills are just as remarkable as her performance on the court.
Brice captained Queensland’s 17 and Under team to gold at the National Netball Championships in 2023 in Darwin.
“The girls and how connected we were that’s what I remember most about the experience,” she said.
"It was such a tight-knit group, and it was so easy to play together because of that connection off the court.”
The championship success earned Ellie and the team the title of Queensland’s Junior Sport Team of the Year, an honour Ellie accepted on behalf of her teammates at that year’s QSport Awards.
Many of that squad are now part of the 19U team Ellie will lead in what will be the last NNC for that group.
Having come second to an experienced NSW team at last year’s NNC in Victoria, Brice and her Queensland teammates are itching to go one better when this year’s tournament begins on Thursday at Sydney’s Netball Central.
“We’ve built such a strong bond over the years, and it’s amazing to be leading this group again,” Brice said.
“We know we can play great netball and that’s what we are aiming to do.”
Queensland’s 17U squad is also eager to make its mark, with coach Erin Byrnes confident the team has prepared as thoroughly as possible for the tournament.
“The team has shown continuous improvement over the past three months,” Byrnes said.
“They put in relentless effort during every training session, embrace feedback, and have become increasingly consistent as a unit week by week.
“It's exciting to watch them develop as a unit as well as individuals, both on and off the court.”
Queensland’s campaign at the 2025 NNC begins with the 17 and Under team facing West Australia from 5.40pm before Brice and the 19 and Under team start their tournament against Tasmania at 6.30pm.
All matches from the 2025 NNC will be available live and on-demand on KommunityTV while a full fixture can be found online here.
