Netballer enjoys the challenges of family life

Family life a real joy for netballer

NETBALL: It’s the game — within the Commonwealth Games — that the whole Geitz-Gilbride family will be playing.

And it is called “Where’s

Barney?”.

And there is even a spreadsheet for everybody to play along.

While netball’s comeback queen Allora’s Laura Geitz is trying to make the ultimate return to the sport by helping the Diamonds claim gold on the Gold Coast, she will also be juggling motherhood commitments with the all-important help of her husband Mark Gilbride and mother Juanita.

Her son Barney was born in February 2017 and the bouncing baby boy has been a fixture at Diamonds training camps and Firebirds away trips for practice games since Geitz made the first steps in her comeback to netball late last year.

Geitz made her first appearance at a Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 when the athletes rarely ventured from the village.

Fast-forward eight years and former Diamonds captain Geitz will be venturing out of the athletes’ accommodation — when netball commitments allow — to spend quality time with her little man.

“I have a spreadsheet that probably takes up the entire computer screen which is all about the whereabouts of Barney, the whereabouts of Mark, the whereabouts of myself, the whereabouts of Mum and the whereabouts of our dog,’’ Geitz laughed.

“It’s basically all about who is looking after Barney … it’s a bit of light reading for anybody who is interested.

“Mum is coming up the Sunshine Coast for our training camp, she will also be down on the Goldy for the Commonwealth Games.

“Mark will be toing and froing. It’s all going to be happening. “In Delhi, we basically stayed in the village for two weeks and here I am trying to get out and seeing Barney and being a Mum and balancing it with performing and doing my job for the team.

“Being a Mum is what makes me the happiest and when you are happy off the court, it can only help you perform well.’’

The Diamonds checked-in to the athletes’ village earlier this week. The team — and Barney — then travelled to the Sunshine Coast for a staging camp that will include practice matches against the Queensland Firebirds and the Lightning.

Australia’s first match at the Commonwealth Games is against Northern Ireland on Thursday, April 5.

Photo: Kym Smith HAPPY FAMILY: Australian Netballer Laura Geitz and her one-year-old son Barney were all smiles at the Australian netball camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

Photo: Netball Queensland Allora’s Laura Geitz (right) in action for the Queensland Firebirds in 2016.

Photo: Kevin Farmer Laura Geitz recently attended the All Stars Netball Clinics at St Ursula’s.