Tasmania's netball presence on the national stage has received a prestigious boost with two local names among a trio of stars named to lead the Tasmanian Magpies' 2019 season in the Australian Netball League.
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Winneleah born-and-bred Kelsie Rainbow will co-captain the side alongside Melissa Bragg, with Northern Cavaliers star Shelby Miller lining up as vice-captain.
Rainbow relocated to Melbourne from Tasmania four years ago to pursue both netball and educational aspirations and has been in the Collingwood setup for two seasons now, after a stint in the Melbourne Vixens/Fury pathway.
A part of the Tasmanian Magpies lineup for both seasons of the clubs existence, Miller's on-court tenacity and pure grit has been rewarded with leadership elevation.
Both Tasmanian members of the leadership group have previously received national recognition, with Rainbow seen as a player with potential to be selected within the Diamonds squad in upcoming years and is a part of Netball Australia's national talent squad for 2018/19.
Miller has also represented Netball Australia's combined state institutes and academies of sport teams at a 20-and-under level back in 2016.
Former Australian Diamonds captain and Head Coach of the Magpies, Elissa Kent is thrilled with the three athletes selected.
"All three of them bring unique qualities that we all will benefit from having them in these roles," Kent said.
"They all display strong high-performance behaviours within the daily training environment, their work ethic and skill sets are second to none.
"Shelby and Mel have a very direct, inclusive manner focused on what we need to achieve and drive the team forward, while Kelsie is very process-driven and has an analytical mind and cool head.
"It was great to see that we had Melburnians putting forward Tasmanian athletes and vice-versa.
"We have put in a lot of work to try to limit the geographical challenge we face being in two states and this is a sign that the team is feeling united."
Kent has been spending pre-season in both Tasmania and Victoria preparing the respective squads after a full team training camp at the Holden Centre in February.
"The preparations have been going well and I am enjoying my time working with both groups and obviously the team as a whole.
"The next six weeks in the lead up to round one, we will be working on cementing more strategies and familiarity in combinations."
Both Miller and Rainbow are no strangers to success, with the two Northern girls an integral part of the Tasmanian Magpies' inaugural premiership victory against the Canberra Giants in last year's ANL grand final.
The flag-winning side featured four Launceston-raised girls with Miller and Rainbow joined by the attacking Maddie Carter and Zanna Jodlowska, who brought great intensity.
Named a player to watch by the ANL's website, Rainbow effectively confirmed the Magpies' victory in the final, tipping a pass on the edge of the Giants' attacking circle to create a scoring opportunity that sealed the deal.
Jodlowska will join Rainbow and Miller at the Magpies once again this year, with fellow Tasmanians Emma Johns, Zoe Claridge and Ashleigh Probert-Hill all stepping up to be a part of the side's 2019 squad.
The Magpies will put their pre-season training into full effect when they take on the Queensland Fusion in the opening round of the ANL on May 4 and 5 at the recently opened Queensland State Netball Centre.
Although there are no games at the Silverdome this season, the Tasmanian contingent will return home during round three for a double-header against South Australian side Southern Force.