Cachia’s waiting game for selection
Blake Cachia faces a nervous wait to learn whether he will represent Australia in 2024.
Cachia, up for selection in Australia’s 20-and-under men’s netball squad, was one of several players across the Geelong region invited to trial for national roster spots this month, with Alistair Punchon, Riley Richardson and Brodie Roberts to attend the Kelpies’ men’s national side/Fast 5 camp, while Aidan Conheady, a Camperdown teenager connected to Geelong Cougars, is eyeing a place in the 17-andunder squad. Cachia, who took up netball at 11 and represented Australia in 2022 in its 17-andunder squad, was identified during Victoria’s recent silvermedal run at the Australian Men’s Netball Championships in Brisbane.
After missing out on selection last year, the 18-year-old sports science student said he was driven to get himself back in contention in the higher age bracket.
“I really wanted to push myself to get into this one,” he said. “The age difference, it just means bigger bodies and you’re up against stronger people, so you need to be able to take in all that physical demand.”
Cachia, who can play across the centre, wing attack and goal attack positions, pushed his case for selection at a threeday camp on Sydney’s Northern Beaches last week.
Focused around match-play, the Werribee-based Cachia said he was pleased how he performed, considering he and the other 21 players in attendance had to form on-court connections quickly.
“I thought I did pretty well and I’m hoping to make it into the team,” he said.
Cachia is now forced to wait up to six weeks before final teams are announced in June while other camps play out across the country this month.
Until then, he will focus on coaching Geelong Netball Associations' boys representative team, a role he took up last year and shares with Adam Franz.