Horsham's Maggie Caris has signed on as a training partner with the Melbourne Vixens

In mid-December, the Melbourne Vixens announced that Caris - currently listed with the Melbourne Demons in the AFLW - had signed on as a training partner with the club for the 2022 Super Netball season.

The 19-year-old is ecstatic with the opportunity which she had to keep "under wraps for a little while".

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"I'm happy it's finally been announced and I can share it with everyone," Caris said.

"I'm very excited."

For those that don't know the role of a training partner, each Super Netball Club has ten contracted full-time players and six training partners, which act as "emergencies" according to Caris.

"If one of the Vixens gets injured we can come into the squad," she said.

"If someone's injured for two weeks we might get a temporary replacement contract."

Caris' signing is a reward for the years of time and effort she has devoted to netball.

She has been a part of netball Victoria's pathways for a significant period now but was still surprised to hear the news that she would be joining a professional netball team.

"It was really exciting to get the call from Simone, Di and Bec the high-performance coaches at the Vixens, to tell me I'd been offered a training partner position," Caris said.

"I got so rattled when they called me I was just beside myself.

"I'm definitely very grateful for the opportunity and really looking forward to it."

Caris is about to begin her second AFLW season, which gets underway in January and should finish in March/April.

The 2022 Super Netball season starts in April and runs until late August, which means the former Horsham Saint will be able to juggle both her football and netball commitments.

She is in good company among AFLW players such as Ash Brazill, Sharni Norder and Maisie Nankivell who have played both sports professionally in recent years.

"(It) has been really good so far," she said on balancing both sports.

"Both coaches from footy and netball have been really supportive and understanding.

"They've been really happy for me to do both."

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"We're just going to try and work through that slowly (training schedule) and figure out the best plan for me to manage my loads."

As far as any expectations go for the netball season, Caris sees her role "realistically from a development point of view".

"It will be good to be with the Vixens during the week, going to training and just getting into that high-performance netball environment," she said.

"(I'm aiming) to work hard, try and prove myself and develop both on and off-field, which is really important to become the best version of myself."

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