The daughter of NRL star Steve Price and niece to former Brisbane Broncos wing, Brent Tate, Jamie-Lee Price will look to keep the family tradition alive after being named in the Samsung Australian Diamonds Squad earlier this month.
Jamie-Lee Price made her debut in the national league in 2013, where she played for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in New Zealand. However, it wasn’t until 2017 when she moved back to Australia to join the GIANTS Netball in the Suncorp Super Netball competition, that she really started to become a household name. A name that was already well known in rugby league circles. A name that was looking to crack another code.
From the age of eight, Price called New Zealand home, after her father left the Canterbury Bulldogs to join the New Zealand Warriors side in 2005.
Come kick off, you would often find a young Jamie-Lee Price in the front row cheering with the rest of the family. The bright lights of Mount Smart Stadium wasn’t something she shied away from either, often putting her hand up to help out along the sidelines.
“I used to be a ball girl for the Warriors back when there weren’t many ball girls around, and the rule was that whenever the ball went out you had to put it on the sideline – you could never pass it to a player or kick it onto the field, nothing like that,” said Price.
"Growing up, netball wasn’t the only sport I played. I had represented New Zealand in three different sports by the time I was 15. I played touch football and tag as well as netball.”
The GIANTS midcourter grew up around representative sporting scene, with Dad, Steve Price pulling on the green and gold jumper 15 times throughout his career. Not to mention being chosen to battle it out 28 times for Queensland in the State of Origin.
“Looking back on it, it’s been a really good experience for me watching my dad do what he loves. As there were a lot of highs and lows in his career, it did help me understand what it takes to be an athlete,” said Price.
“People often wonder if I’ve been approached by other sports, like women’s rugby sevens, given my background, and I say, ‘Well, no, no-one’s asked me, actually’. Obviously, I want to give netball a good crack, so we’ll see how we go on the netball side of things first,” says Price.
Although not named in the upcoming Quad Series and Constellation Cup team, Price is bound for Canberra to take part in the pre-departure camp next month. An opportunity that will for sure see her following in her father’s footsteps.
Words from Players Voice. Read the full story.
