By Linda Pearce
Sophie Garbin is grateful for the non-linear journey that has taken her from the Western Australian red-dust town of Kambalda to Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, via a World Cup triumph, Commonwealth Games heartbreak and, now, 50 Tests for the Diamonds.
“Lots of experiences both on and off the court, and lots of fun,’’ Garbin says. “I feel like I’m still in the adolescence of my career, even though I’m not, but I still just feel like there’s a lot more to give. I do.’’
So if the record shows that the 29-year-old is the 40th Australian Diamond to reach the half-century mark, then the 184-centimetre shooter points out that she is still on the squad’s youthful side.
“I feel like I’m still one of the young ones - which I still am in the younger half of the group, which is nice,’’ she says. “I’ve been around for a few other people’s 50th games and I feel like it is such a big milestone…’’
A loss to New Zealand in Sunday’s Constellation Cup opener in Auckland was clearly not the desired result, although Garbin top scored for the Diamonds with 20 goals from 21 in her two quarters and stood up strongly against star Silver Fern Kelly Jackson as a 10-goal half-time deficit was trimmed to five and finished at six.
And if there was much ado, rightly, about Courtney Bruce becoming the seventh member of the nation’s exclusive Centurions’ Club, then there was also plenty of love for Garbin on an occasion the West Australian duo was proud to share.
“Had my dad (Glenn) here, which was really special, and lots of people cheering me on back home,’’ Garbin said post-match. “So really special and probably just makes me reflect on the career that was.’’
One that followed the state and national pathway until an outstanding season for Western Sting in the former feeder league, the ANL, failed to translate into a 2018 contract with the West Coast Fever and instead led to recruitment by the NSW Swifts in a move Garbin admits was not on her “vision board’’.
After a fairytale debut and two Super Netball titles but limited on-court minutes came a move south to Collingwood for 2022-23, where there was criticism of her role at goal attack, and she missed selection for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
A year later, Diamond #183 was selected for the 2023 Netball World Cup - a decision vindicated when she came off the bench in the final against England and scored 27 goals from 33 attempts alongside Kiera Austin, despite having not played a minute in the previous two games.
What was “amazing” then, with mum Kym and basketballer sister Darcee in the crowd, feels almost more special now, given the Diamonds had to settle for bronze at this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
SLIDING DOORS MOMENT
It was not until moving to the Vixens after the Magpies handed back their licence and Mwai Kumwenda’s pregnancy opened up the starting shooter’s spot and regular partnership with Austin that Garbin became a first-choice GS at national league level.
And, at the end of that first season, the 2024 Liz Ellis Diamond winner. Which was not quite the surprise it might have been, given that teammate Kate Moloney had seen the engraved trophy earlier in the night and dropped a none-too-subtle hint.
“She told me I needed to stop drinking champagne, so that was probably a smart idea, although I didn’t really listen to her,’’ laughs Garbin, who was also named International Player of the Year. “But obviously a massive achievement and, again, something I’ll probably reflect on post-career more than in-career.
“I feel like when you’re still playing you’re still looking to improve and keep evolving, and how can you get better.”
For Garbin, that has meant becoming more team-orientated. Building confidence and a sense of worth. Her biggest growth, she thinks, has been understanding that an off day, a difficult moment or a non-selection does not define her as a player.
On court, she has worked on adapting to the Diamonds' style of attack. “I feel like it’s very fast, a lot more movement in the shooting circle than you probably see in other countries or other SSN teams, so just that fitness and being able to be an option outside the circle, not just a holding shooter inside it.’’
Joking in trademark fashion that “I like to pretend I’m fast, but I’m not”, Garbin believes she has improved her game smarts, movement and adaptability, while her calmness and strength remain keys to the success of a shorter shooter in an era of towering spearheads such as Grace Nweke and Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard.
Five years after her nervy, “terrible” Diamonds debut at goal attack in the Covid quarantine series under new coach Stacey Marinkovich - “I think I shot three airballs and it was just one of those games that I would never go back and watch’’ - she continues to embrace all that has gone before.
That extends to the crushing semi-final defeat to Jamaica at this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games which meant the Diamonds did not qualify for the gold medal game for the first time at a benchmark event.
“As much as the semi-final loss to Jamaica hurt, and I don’t think I’ve ever cried that much over anything, I just am so grateful for all the highs and lows that I’ve been able to experience.
“I feel like I’ve had it all now in my career. I’m so grateful to be a part of the Diamonds group as it is at the moment.’’
Even if it all finished tomorrow, Garbin would be satisfied, she insists. Still, if an obvious carrot is the prospect of a home World Cup next year in Sydney, then wins and losses in themselves drive her less than the enjoyment she still feels.
There was a time when Garbin wondered if Diamonds’ selection would ever happen. Or she was dropped and unsure if she would get another chance in the yellow dress. But always determined to back herself.
Instructive in the wake of Test No.50 is a line on Garbin’s website, shootwithsoph.com, that describes the kid from remote Kambalda who moved to Perth with her tight-knit family at the age of 13.
“I wasn’t always the tallest or most talented kid on the court but I was probably the one who dreamt the biggest,’’ it reads. “Representing Australia was something I'd dreamed about for as long as I can remember.’’
