Rudi Ellis: Invitee to debutant

By Sophie Taylor

Surreal.

That’s the word that comes to mind when defender Rudi Ellis is asked about her last few months on the netball court.

While two months might not sound like a long time, for Ellis, it was the start of something falling into place, that would lead to an eventual debut in the green and gold.

“It's been such a surreal experience,” she said.

Ellis’s pathway to the top has been unique to say the least. A NSW junior with roots in Victoria and various countries across Asia, Ellis has rarely stopped moving.

“With dad's work we travelled a lot, that started from when I was about six months old,” Ellis explained.

“We moved to Papua New Guinea and we'd move pretty much every year or so since then. It was a pretty exciting childhood.”

While exciting, Ellis’ childhood made it challenging to settle in one spot, eventually finding herself gravitating towards netball while at boarding school in Sydney.

“It's definitely made me quite adaptable as a person,” Ellis said.

“Having to chop and change all the time, meet new people and sort of redefine myself has really helped starting new environments and new netball clubs.

“I really value the experience because it has been so different. But now I’m just really keen to just put my roots down and be consistent with where I am.”

Netball has always been like a homing beacon for the defender, with the people behind the sport playing a huge role in Ellis’ love for it.

“Netball has always just had such special people involved with it,” she explained.

“It's definitely the people that surround the sport that make the sport so amazing.”

Everything has clicked into gear for the defender, who now calls Melbourne home after stints with the West Coast Fever and Queensland Firebirds.

But to really understand how quickly things have changed, Ellis reflected on late 2023 when she made the move to the Melbourne Vixens to be closer to family and her partner.

A former training partner at the Vixens, Ellis knew the environment would help to grow her game further.

A self-proclaimed ‘huge person for being a happy person’, Ellis believes her happiness off the court has translated into her improved form and confidence on the court.

“A big shift moving back to Melbourne was being surrounded by loved ones, and I guess that really makes me quite happy off court, which then translate on court,” Ellis explained.

“The Vixens is such a positive environment, the coaches push you in the best way possible. The ability to grow as a player and a person is definitely there at the Vixens.”

Not initially named in the 2024-25 Origin Australian Diamonds squad, Ellis’ Suncorp Super Netball season with the finals-bound Vixens shot her into Diamonds contention.

“I couldn't believe it,” Ellis said.

“I literally got the call from Stace (Stacey Marinkovich) and then almost dropped the phone and fell off my chair… just in complete shock, but so, so excited.”

Her disbelief was quickly followed by excitement, throwing herself into the training environment and earning selection to Australia’s England Series squad off the back of strong performances as an invitee.

From there, the momentum kept flowing.

“It's definitely a pinch me moment,” Ellis said following her debut against England in September.

“A lot of these girls I’ve idolised for so long and I now have, luckily enough, been able to train alongside and play alongside. All of it just does feel like a dream still.

“Maybe after this tour everything will sink in a little bit.”

The ‘after tour’ phase didn’t last long, with only a couple weeks’ break before the Diamonds headed back into training camp for the Constellation Cup.

“Lots has changed since the start of September,” Ellis said.

“I've got a few more games under my belt, which has been amazing, I still pinch myself that I’m here and involved with it all.”

The newness of playing for Australia aside, Ellis’ time with the Diamonds has been largely comfortable.

“A lot of the same things that were special the first time were special again this time around,” Ellis said.

“Being able to sing the anthem with the girls on the line as sisters in arms, being able to play against New Zealand and play in different places within Australia. It's been pretty special.

“I haven't felt new. Everyone's so inclusive and it's a really comfortable place to be as a new player coming through.”

After winning the England Series 2-1, energy was high within the Diamonds camp.

But all good things must come to an end, and that was how things went down during the Constellation Cup as the New Zealand Silver Ferns put the Diamonds’ 10-straight series win streak to bed.

“We know that we're good enough as a team,” Ellis stated.

“We are definitely fit enough, strong enough, have the game plan. It was more about that belief and energy behind the group, so it was really exciting to be able to finish on a high with a win.

“After each game we'd reflect but we wouldn't dwell, we would really think about the next thing, what we could improve on and try and ignite that spark within the group.

“Tour is hard. But our ability to be able to do that in the final game speaks volumes and we'll use that game moving forward to hopefully have a more successful tour in the next one.”

Moving forward, Ellis is eager to continue her Diamonds journey.

Has she quite processed 2024 yet?

“Probably not. It's just been go, go, go,” she said.

“From having this opportunity and a small snippet of what Diamonds life is like, I really want to work super hard in my SSN environment and work on the things that I can be better at in a netball sense so that I can really bring it for next year.”