DIMBOOLA’S A Grade netballers have spent a number of years on the cusp of being real contenders in the Wimmera Netball Association without making a big impact in finals.
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New coach Jodie Hayes said she hoped the hard work put in during pre-season will help her side change that in 2018.
“It’s been really good so far with so many numbers out on the court early,” she said.
“It’s important to get that base fitness in the players at this point of the season.”
Hayes has stepped into the role in just her second season at the club and takes over from Ant Toet.
She turned heads in her first season on the way to finishing second in the association’s Hatcher Medal count.
“I was happy to jump into the role when I got asked,” she said. “Last year I noticed that it was a really good bunch of girls and it just seemed like the right time for me to make the move. It’s always something I’ve been interested in doing but up until now I’ve just focused on my own netball.”
A large portion of the squad will be on court for the club again this season with only Rianna Kuhne departing the side,
“Another year gelling on the court together will be really beneficial,” Hayes said.
“We’ve also got a number of juniors coming up, so I’m looking forward to seeing them develop. Everyone has been putting in some really good effort – especially in regards to fitness – and we’re starting to see some combinations come together.”
Q and A with Jodie Hayes
Any young players coming through this season?
We’ve got some development players coming through the under-15s and under-17s that will be stepping up through all the grades this season to get some court time early. They will come into teams and should add some extra enthusiasm.
Are there many changes to the squad you had last year?
We’ve lost Rianna Kuhne to university in Adelaide but apart from that we’re looking like a pretty similar team to last year along with a couple of additions.
What are your goals for the season?
Last season we hit the first round of finals so we want to make sure we are doing the same this year and hopefully going further. Other than that we want to makes sure we are competitive every week by putting in 100 percent on the court.