Ada Kennedy announced her arrival on the GVL A-Grade stage with two quickfire goals.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Mooroopna head coach Di Hanslow has a long history of nurturing burgeoning talents on their way to prominence - and teenager Ada Kennedy is the latest prospect to emerge off the club’s production line.
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The Cats chief’s faith in youth has been rewarded during the 2026 Goulburn Valley League season, with prodigy Layla Ratcliffe, 15, having already made her mark on the campaign after impressing at junior levels.
The goal attack prospect is tipped for a big future in the game after a breakout campaign in the GVL’s A-grade division, which has saw her net 123 goals across 21 periods of action.
Having become a senior side regular under Hanslow’s tutelage in recent times, it has been the turn of fellow teen Kennedy to make a name for herself on the Goulburn Valley’s biggest stage.
Introduced for a single period during the Cats’ recent emphatic win over Tatura, the 15-year-old wasted no time in making a mark on proceedings as she notched up a couple of goals during her short cameo off the sidelines.
The Goulburn Valley League 15 & Under representative’s introduction into the fray at Mooroopna Main Oval proved popular with the spectators too as she received a round of applauds as she took to the court.
It is likely that Kennedy will never forget her A Grade debut, especially after ending up on the winning side as she helped see out a 56-25 victory in front of a home crowd on what was her 15th birthday.
Rising netball star Ada Kennedy recently impressed on her GVL A-Grade debut for the Cats.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
As a quirk of fate, Kennedy actually replaced Ratcliffe for the closing stages against the Bulldogs - with the debutant paying coach Hanslow back for placing faith in her with a goal in the 57th minute.
It took her just six minutes to get her name on the scoresheet and a second goal came during the final seconds of the contest as she closed out the victory for the Cats in the 60th minute.
Undoubtedly, the up-and-coming goal shooter from Cobram has a bright future ahead of her, having previously represented the Goulburn Region at the 2026 Netball Victoria State Titles in March and the Cats’ B Grade side.
She also joined Mooroopna teammate Ratcliffe in playing for the GVL’s 15 & Under side at the 2026 Association Championships earlier in June, as they donned the league’s purple colours against regional associations from across Victoria.
Reflecting on a momentous occasion for the teenager and the wider Mooroopna club, A Grade head coach Hanslow spoke in glowing terms about Kennedy following her maiden appearance for the Cats.
“I’m a big believer that, if you have talent, you’ve got to be able to provide an opportunity for them - that’s one of my biggest focal points as a coach,” she said.
“Ada has had some matches throughout the season at B Grade, where she has done exceptionally well and all of our junior players at given times are welcome to join our senior training.
“She joined our senior training last week and did very well, Ada has a great burst of speed and is a goalscorer like Layla Ratcliffe - so they’re both budding goal-attacks.
“She’s defensively sound, reads the play and cuts in and out of the play very convincingly so she contributed well to our training session and going into the weekend we felt she should be rewarded with inclusion in the A Grade side.”
Hanslow also shared how this exposure to A Grade level will stand Kennedy in good stead in her continuing development on the court.
“When we had the opportunity to put her out there, I wanted to make use of that as you don’t always have the chance to put them out there depending on the game situation,” she said.
“It gives you the opportunity to see how they respond to a game situation and she did so well, she fitted in like she’s been there all season and I didn’t feel she looked overawed by the situation.
“That is great to see, when you’ve got a youngster who is so excited to embrace the situation and that is exactly what she did.
“With the attitude she showed at the weekend, especially on her birthday - she’s got a very bright future!”
