When Alice Teague-Neeld made her Diamonds’ debut last year, she became the fourth oldest player ever to do so. Instantly proving she was test-cap ready, her skill and finesse was rewarded with Player of the Series recognition against South Africa. But for the former young prodigy, it took quite some time to become one of the world’s finest wing attacks, and her story is one of reinvention and determination to never give up.
Like many elite athletes, Teague-Neeld grew up in a highly competitive household. Her parents both excelled at sport, while her two older sisters paved the way into netball. Teague-Neeld couldn’t wait to follow them onto court, and they’ve remained her biggest cheerleaders to this day.
Originally a goal attack, Teague-Neeld honed her skills in the powerful Victorian pathway system, and as a young teenager came to the attention of Eloise Southby. The former Diamond instantly dragged the Vixens’ coach down to watch her play. Simone McKinnis liked what she saw, and Teague-Neeld was later signed as injury cover for the Vixens in 2014. Still at high school, she didn’t take the court, but was part of their programme across some of the season.
She said, “It was a surreal environment, especially at that age. Training and playing with some of the people you’ve looked up to and watched on TV. Such stellar athletes like our captain Bianca Chatfield, Geva Mentor and Madi Browne.”
Alice Teague-Neeld was Player of the Series against South Africa. Image: May Bailey/Clusterpix
Freshly out of school the following year, Teague-Neeld signed a contract alongside Emily Mannix and Chloe Watson. It was an eye-opening experience for the teenager. “The three of us started our journey together which was special. I was super young, didn’t play much netball, but it was also different back then.
“We had 12 players, so there were five on the bench, no rolling subs and very limited rotation.
“But in my second year with the Vixens, I played most games and really loved my time there.”
Collingwood Magpies entered the competition in 2017, and enticed Teague-Neeld to join them. The lure of a brand new franchise, a strong group of players and the elite high-performance environment at one of the AFL’s biggest clubs were all compelling reasons for the 20 year old to move.
At that age, Teague-Neeld said she had less perspective on life, and netball had been all-consuming for a number of years. That, combined with the realisation that life as a Magpie didn’t really suit her, saw her reach her lowest ebb in sport.
“I wasn’t playing great netball. Looking back, while there were plenty of highs and the girls were great, there were also lots of lows.
“It just wasn’t for me.”
While her courtcraft was immaculate, Teague-Neeld started experiencing some hesitancy going to the post. Her issues become a self-perpetuating circle.
“I wasn’t having fun and enjoying myself, and I was taking that home with me as opposed to just leaving it at the court.
“I am a bit of a perfectionist, and when you want to be the best, and that’s not happening, everything kind of unravels. I was trying to fix it all at once, while also trying to take a step back from some of those emotions, and it just didn’t work.”
Alice Teague-Neeld found her happy place in Western Australia. Image Clinton Bradbury/Bradbury Photography
Coming very close to quitting the game altogether, Teague-Neeld was offered a fresh start in Western Australia under then-Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich. The opportunity came about really quickly, and Teague-Neeld said she was in some denial about her future.
“Mum and Dad were asking me what I was going to do, and I just didn’t know. Then one day, I just said to Tom that I was going to do it.”
While many female athlete’s partners are unable to relocate with them, Teague-Neeld said her long term boyfriend was incredibly supportive. “We’d spoken about holidaying in WA before, then changed our mind. Next minute we’ve moved to Perth!
“We were super young, and it was just an exciting opportunity for both of us.”
There was plenty of noise around Teague-Neeld’s arrival, as Nat Medhurst wasn’t re-signed by the club. An unfortunate bystander to that challenging circumstance, Teague-Neeld found it difficult at first.
“There was nothing I could have done about it, as that wasn’t my decision. I felt for Nat, and when you’re young you do kind of get caught up in some of the media stuff, but it didn’t take too long for that to settle.”
While she was still experiencing some discomfort shooting for goal, Teague-Neeld’s other skills and ability to feed shooting weapon Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard were sublime. However, it took a Dan Ryan masterstroke to change the trajectory of her career.
Alice Teague-Neeld originally joined Fever as a goal attack. Image: Clinton Bradbury | Bradbury Photography
Short of some athletes on Diamonds’ duties, Fever’s current coach threw her into wing attack during the 2022 pre-season. It was a move that instantly clicked, and she played a key part in their premiership later that year. Now, Teague-Neeld still plays goal attack in training, albeit rarely in games, she’s most usually found on the wing. In the space of just four years, she’s transitioned into one of the world’s premium midcourters.
That’s a credit to Teague-Neeld’s netball IQ, as she has found some similarities but plenty of differences across the two positions. “In terms of the craft outside the circle – your ball handling, skill execution, reading the game and feeding a shooter, you do all that at goal attack.
“But it is a very different position also. The movement, hitting circle edge, extra calling of centre passes, and being a bit more active on first phase.
“So there were bits I had to learn.
“I feel it’s not that common to fully change positions that far into your career, and it sparked an energetic and exciting new part of my career.”
At the start of her wing attack journey, Teague-Neeld sustained a high work rate and started hitting some big numbers – feeds, goal assists and centre pass receives, while keeping her turnovers low. Unfortunately for a future in the green and gold dress there were a few factors working against her.
As a teenager she’d been tipped as a future Diamond goal attack, only to have that career stall. After some years spent changing course, her direct opponent for the wing attack bib was now the Australian captain Liz Watson. Then there were the doubters, who believed she looked better because she was feeding Fowler-Nembhard.
Luckily the Diamonds’ selectors still saw value in what Teague-Neeld had to offer, and she became an invitee in 2023 and 2024, continuing to lift her game until she became a fully-fledged squad member last year.
Alice Teague-Neeld chasing down a loose ball. Image: Clinton Bradbury/Bradbury Photography
The national coach will phone through news about the squad selection, but an invitation to join a series is done via email. In the middle of her working day as a physiotherapist, Teague-Neeld chose not to look until after her appointments. “I didn’t want to before seeing a patient, because I didn’t know which Alice they’d get depending on what the news was. There’s a lot of build-up, nerves and excitement waiting for news like that.”
Chosen for the South Africa series, Teague-Neeld was elated to fulfil a lifelong dream of being a Diamond. She said, “At some points in your career, you just don’t think it will happen.
“But stepping into that environment, you become a better player in terms of the little things you might pick up on or off court.
“You are playing and training against Australia’s best, and there’s nowhere to hide. There’s world class coaches, support staff and a really tough environment. It’s not easy, but it’s really enjoyable.”
Teague-Neeld debuted in her home state, and played across all three games. The last was her best, notching up 36 feeds and 10 centre pass receives during her 40 minutes on court. And while Teague-Neeld could have been excused for showing some nerves, she was playing with freedom and looked like she was enjoying herself.
“It’s been such a long journey to get here,” Teague-Neeld said. “I had goose bumps and excitement, and I was also super proud to be able to share it with family and friends.”
So what is the difference between the young prodigy and the composed wing attack of today? For Teague-Neeld, it’s a couple of factors – not getting too involved in any outside noise, and having faith in herself.
“I don’t second guess my ability or what I’m good at, and I’m also really open to constantly learning. When you play with so many different people, it brings out different things in you and your game. So it’s really cool to have those perspectives, to soak things up and there’s always something new to experience.
“From a wider perspective, it’s great that more people are having opinions or conversations about netball. But it’s important for the inner sanctum to understand what we’re trying to do as a club, a team, and personally.
“So we do need to filter and pinpoint what’s really important for our game, and I think I’ve become so much better at that.”
Alice Teague-Neeld on her Diamonds debut in 2025. Image: May Bailey-Ireland | Clusterpix
In her eighth year at Fever, Teague-Neeld and her now-fiancé have found an environment that suits them personally and professionally. They love what Teague-Neeld describes as one of Australia’s best-kept secrets, saying, “Perth is so beautiful, its chill, the beaches are amazing – the lifestyle just suits us.
“On the netball side, Fever have been so supportive. The club embraces everyone and we have a really special bond. Many of us don’t have family here so hanging out with the girls outside of netball is nice.”
Teague-Neeld rates the people she’s met along the way as a highlight of her sporting career, many of whom she’s known since her pathway days back in Victoria. “We are like-minded, we go through similar experiences through life whether that’s missing things for netball when you’re younger, or training and travelling together for matches.”
As someone with a naturally positive disposition, Teague-Neeld doesn’t reflect too much on the harder times in sport or how long it’s taken for her to reach the top, referring to them as being as linear as life itself is.
“It is up and down. Your emotions are high and low depending on wins, losses, performances, selections and injuries. There’s so much going on.
“So while that can be tough at the time, when things do go well, it makes them even more special.”
