Laharum has finalised its netball coaches for the 2019 Horsham District Football Netball League season, with Erin Mellington stepping-up to co-coach A Grade with Caitlin Story. The pair will also coach B Grade.

Story co-coached with Rebecca McIntyre last season, but McIntyre has decided to step down from the role due to time constraints. She is expected to remain at the club as a player.

Carmen Dridan will coach C Grade while Stephanie Price will coach C Reserve.

Mellington has experienced success as a head coach in the past, coaching Laharum’s under-17s team to a premiership in 2017. She said she was excited to step-up to the challenge of senior coaching.

“I’ve only ever coached under-17s before, but I’m excited to take it to the next level of senior coaching,” she said.

“I think Caito and I will make a great team.”

Mellington said she was eager to learn in the role and continue to grow as a leader.

“Being so young myself I still have a lot to learn about being a role model,” she said.

“We all make mistakes, and I especially make mistakes, but I’m ready to keep learning.

“I hope we make a system that helps young girls look up to seniors, and makes every senior player a role model.

“The girls at the club are so knowledgeable and I’ve learnt so much from them just being coached. Now that I’m able to sit in on their talks I’ll be able to learn even more.”

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Story said she was looking forward to mentoring Mellington in her new role.

“I’m ready to try and be a bit of a mentor for Erin,” she said. “She’s done a great job with the under-17s and she has a reasonable amount of knowledge, it’s just about stepping up into seniors.

“I’m confident in her and her ability – I’m looking forward to bouncing ideas off each other.”

Story said most players had signed on from last season and she was hopeful of signing several new recruits in the coming weeks.

Laharum has fallen agonisingly short of a premiership with Story as a coach the last several seasons, but she said she was wary not to think too far ahead this season.

“I think the pressure has been our downfall the last couple of years,” she said.

“I don’t want to put the pressure on ourselves to get to the grand final, we just want to play good netball.”