Kim Commane's love for netball fueled comeback from devastating injury

Commane was on the brink of selection into the Australian Netball Diamonds squad and was preparing to travel to the Under-21 Netball World Youth Cup in the Cook Islands in 2009 but disaster struck a day before flying out to the tournament.

A lingering foot injury, which had been progressively getting worse over the previous months, was diagnosed as a foot fracture.

Commane missed the World Youth Cup, which Australia went on to win.

The then 20-year-old began months of rehab but the pain lingered and the injury was eventually re-diagnosed as a navicular foot injury - three quarters of the bone had been chipped away.

Commane had surgery and was off the court for more than two years. She was unable to train, develop as a player and worst of all - was unable to play the sport she loves.

"It was really quite a tough time for me," Commane said.

"Prior to my injury, I was playing with the Swifts and was at the Australian Institute of Sport, and I had a conversation with the then Diamonds coach and I was talked about being brought into the squad.

"But after the injury, I wasn't able to run for the first eight months. Then as I got back on the court my load was managed. I was only able to play a quarter at a time and was playing in the state league.

"By the time I had fully healed and was back on the court properly, the next generation of superstars were coming through."

Commane managed to put together a successful season with the NSW Blues in the Australian Netball League and was picked up by the Swifts on a one-year deal for 2012.

However, the time out out of the game had impacted the goal shooter's game and her contract wasn't extended.

Reflecting on her career, Commane pinpoints the injury as halting her progress and ultimately preventing her from reaching her full potential.

After receiving no interest from Suncorp Super Netball clubs heading into the 2013 season, Commane returned to the state league and she believed her professional career had ended before it had a real chance to begin.

"I was happy watching my former teammates succeed but it was disheartening to not play at that top level," Commane said.

"Former Under-19s and Under-21 Australian teammates Caitlin Bassett, who is now the Australian captain, and Collingwood captain Madi Browne were excelling, as were others, and I thought I should have been there too.

"It was difficult but I continued to play because I love netball. I did think the door (on a professional career) had closed and I had come to terms with it."

However, Commane's clear love for the sport shined whenever she took to the court and her determination to always play at her best resulted in a comeback.

Commane was contacted by the Melbourne Vixens coach Simone McInnes to gauge her interest in participating in a trial for the club.

The Vixens had been struck by injuries to their attacking line up and McInnes had a history of coaching Commane in the Under-21s Australian side.

"Simone reached out to see if I was still playing and invited me to play in a pre-season tournament," Commane said.

"I competed in the tournament for them and they must have been impressed as a week later I had moved to Melbourne and was signed on with the Vixens, it all happened so fast."

Commane went on to play for the Vixens for a second season in 2017 before she was overlooked in 2018 but returned for the final game of the year.

An injury paved the way for the recall and Commane took the opportunity with both hands.

Despite only two training sessions with her teammates leading up to the game, the Frederickton junior starred as she netted 31 goals from 33 attempts.

The performance put Commane back on the map of professional clubs and within a month she received interest from Team Bath in the Vitality Netball Superleague in the United Kingdom.

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Commane is now fresh off a successful first season with Team Bath, which saw Commane claim the Fan's Player, Players' Player and Coaches Award at the club's presentation night, and the attacking weapon has hinted she will return to the United Kingdom.

Commane helped lead Team Bath to a semi-final berth and admits she has begun contract negotiations to remain at the club for a second season.

Commane touched down in Australia last week to visit family and friends and she returned to Frederickton, where her netball journey began, on Sunday.

The Macleay Netball Association junior started playing netball at the age of eight but it wasn't until she was a teenager when she discovered her natural talent for the sport.

Commane had played defence growing up but fortunately a chance occurrence led to her trying a new position and ultimately a shift to the attacking line.

At the Under-14s NSW State Championships, the Macleay team struggled. They had suffered a loss in all of their games leading up to their final match and their coach decided they could pick any they position they wanted to play.

Commane, who had always played in the defence, was quick to grab the goal shooter bib.

"I was a tall and gangly kid so I was thrown in the defence from an early age," Commane said.

"But with the tournament lost, I thought to myself I might as well give it a go."

Commane soon realised the attacking role suited her perfectly, as she made the majority of her shot attempts and she began to play the position more often.

In her role, Commane began to receive more recognition and was soon selected to play at a state level.

This lead to the decision to to attend the Westfield Sports High for Year 11 and 12 to receive a higher level of coaching and pursue a professional career.

The decision paid off as within a year, Commane was on the national radar and would go on to represent Australia in the Under-19s and Under-21s squads - before the navicular foot injury hampered her progress.

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