Hocking made headlines with the club’s grand final-winning under-19 team last year when she was named most valuable player in the premiership win, a 15-goal victory against Southern Saints.
She played with the Falcons’ division one team on Sunday, having impressed the club’s selectors while training with the under-19 team since late last year.
The Falcons lost by just two goals, 46-48, with Hocking making 10 of her 14 shots as goal attack, cast in the familiar role of feeder to the Falcons’ shooter. She played all but seven minutes of the match.
Hocking was informed in December that she would be included in the division one squad, just one step below the championship division of the VNA.
She is among a handful of underage players who have been promoted to the senior ranks.
Hocking is currently training twice a week with the Falcons and twice with the Victorian under-19 team, that preparation having stepped up as the April 11-16 national championships draw nearer.
She travels to Altona for Falcons training and to the state netball centre at Parkville for state squad training.
She will travel to Darwin with the under-19 team immediately after the first round of the Goulburn Valley league’s season.
She is one of four goalers in the 12-member squad and said she expected to be a reserve in the opening round .
"It is a round-robin competition and a week-long tournament, so all the squad will be used,“ she said.
Hocking has been training with the state squad since January and is among three City West Falcons in the state team.
During the year she will compete in the VNA with the division one Falcons team and with Rochester’s A-grade team on weekends.
She is currently working five days week as a sports trainee at Rochester Primary School under the close eye of Sarah Mangan, while almost completing a TAFE course.
Hocking was a former student at the school and said last week she felt right at home on the school grounds.
15°C