Netball: Magic spot dream come true for Samantha Sinclair

RISING STAR: Rotorua's Samantha Sinclair, 18, will begin training with the Kia Magic in January. PHOTO/FILE

Rising teenage talent Samantha Sinclair will begin training with the Kia Magic in January marking a "huge step up" into the ANZ Championship.

The 18-year-old, currently in her final year at John Paul College in Rotorua, signed with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic earlier this year for 2014.

"It's going to be a huge step up from any other netball that I've played," she said.

"It's semi-professional, it's going to be really intense and for a lot of girls this is their life and it's something that I want to be my life as well."

Sinclair was good enough to make the Magic trials last year but missed out on the final cut, sealing the deal this year with a contract following a string of outstanding performances at secondary school and age-group level.

"It's definitely been a big goal of mine for the last couple of years to make the Magic team," she said.

"Missing out last year was totally fine because I don't think I was ready for it but it gave me the urge to go hard this year and I was really, really stoked that I did make it."

Sinclair will soon be rubbing shoulders with an international mix of coaches and players who will become her day-to-day buddies.

Among all the hype, she has identified what her priorities will be in the early stages at the Magic.

"Because there's more than 12 in our squad [Magic have a squad of 13], the first step will definitely be getting onto the bench for the first game and after that it will be biding my time, doing everything right and training hard and working towards that opportunity to take the court," she said.

Sinclair can play all three midcourt positions but primarily sees herself as a centre/wing defence.

She has enrolled in a full-time course at Waikato University next year where she is planning to do a Bachelor of Social Sciences.

She intends to live in the Halls of Residence so she can experience university life.

An avid trainer, Sinclair has no qualms about fulfilling her training programme requirements by herself in Rotorua until the team assembles for the first time in early January.

"I have trained on my own for the last however many years and it's not a problem," she said.

Sinclair will finish school for good on November 20.

She joins a clutch of young talent to be included in the Magic ranks next year, having previously played with Malia Paseka, Jamie-Lee Price, Katherine Coffin and Brooke Leaver at either secondary school or under-23 level.