A rollercoaster 18 months has ended in a dream coming true for 26-year-old defender Ashlee Unie.
Unie has accepted a contract with the Queensland Firebirds for 2023, completing the club’s senior list for next season.
It’s been a determined road to recovery for Unie, who sustained a season-ending ACL injury while representing the Sunshine Coast Lightning in a 2021 preseason match.
Prior to that she made her Suncorp Super Netball debut for the Lightning in Round 3 of 2020, making three on-court appearances that season.
“It wasn’t just that initial injury that hurt, but the rehab journey and missed selection opportunities,” she said.
“It has made me want this even more and I have a whole new level of appreciation for the chance to give it another shot. It’s hard to put into words the heartache I felt, and the drive that I found subsequent to those dark times. To have the dream realised again validates the work I’ve put in over the last two years.”
Born in Redcliffe and raised on the Sunshine Coast, Unie is another exciting netball talent linked to the highly successful ACU Brisbane North Cougars, who will next weekend line up in the HART Sapphire Series grand final.
“I've been dreaming about this professional contract since I started playing competitive netball at 15,” Unie said.
“I’ve come tantalisingly close before but the time is now. To finally get a go at it is unreal.”
