ONE of Port Stephens’ best young netballers is bracing herself for an agonising twelve month sabbatical on the sidelines.
Boat Harbour resident Chelsea Johnson, a skilful midcourter and goal attack with Nelson Bay Netball Association, has undergone surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will miss the entire 2026 season.
Sixteen-year-old Chelsea is regarded as one of the top netball prospects in the region and was named Nelson Bay’s 2025 Representative Player of the Year.
She proved a stand out at last year’s NSW Senior Under 17yrs Netball Championships in Sydney where she produced classy performances to help Nelson Bay finish third in the Division 4 category.
But Chelsea’s world fell in last September when she damaged her knee in the opening minutes of the Newcastle Netball Association Seniors Division 4 Grand Final between the Nelson Bay Warriors and Mayfield Mystics.
Forced off the National Park courts, the rising talent proved a reluctant spectator as she watched her team mates produce an herculean effort to sink the previously unbeaten Mystics 27-23 in the trophy decider.
It was a bitter-sweet experience for Chelsea, who was left devastated by the injury but ecstatic with the performance of her club mates as they toppled the title favourites.
Softening the personal blow was being able to join her team-mates for the premiership celebrations and later receiving the prestigious Kath McHutchinson Representative Player of the Year Award.
As she hits the comeback trail, a determined Chelsea will turn her hand to coaching to stay involved with her beloved sport.
“Now that I’m facing a long period on the sidelines the coaching aspect is a good way to stay in touch and contribute to my teams’ campaigns,” the Year 11 Tomaree High School student told News Of The Area.
“It will be tough going as a non player for the season but coaching does give you a fresh perspective and I look forward to putting on my coaching hat and helping out with tactics and strategies,” she exclaimed.
Chelsea will coach her sister Elle’s Under 13 Wave Riders team in the local Nelson Bay Intermediate competition and is set to take on a coaching assistant role with experienced mentors Amanda and Taylar Wilks with the Nelson Bay Under 17s years representative squad.
Growing up in Canberra, athletic Chelsea started her netball career with the South Gungahlin club’s Net Set Go program before moving to Port Stephens as a ten-year-old in 2019.
Her talent was identified early with selection in the Nelson Bay 13yrs, 14yrs, 15yrs and 17yrs representative squads and with the premiership-winning Warriors Seniors team.
The ACL injury is a setback for Chelsea’s promising netball career but winning last year’s Newcastle Seniors Division 4 title with the Warriors rates high on her list of achievements.
Under the inspirational leadership of captain-coach Katie Schein, the Bay girls won 11 of their 13 fixtures to grab fourth spot before earning a Grand Final berth with resounding victories over Souths Maple (42-20) and second ranked Newcastle City Bluebelles (35-23) in the preliminary final.
Chelsea was one of three 16 year olds in the Warriors line up along with representative team mates in centre/wing attack Amber Redman and shooter Melody Tibbs.
Surfing is another passion of Chelsea’s and you can find the gifted teenager coaching young hopefuls at the Port Stephens Surf School at One Mile Beach all year round.
“Unfortunately my surfing is also on the back burner until my knee heals,” quipped Chelsea, who remains one of the fittest athletes in the region.
By Chris KARAS
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