Coach cautious over Arrows’ awesome run
MOTIVATION, consistency and depth of talent are the key ingredients to AYC-Friends Arrows’ remarkable hat-trick of Tasmanian Netball League titles, according to coach Andrew Jackson.
Arrows ensured they stayed atop the mountain of Tasmanian netball for a third consecutive year after registering a hard-fought 67-56 victory over Northern Hawks at the Silverdome on Saturday night.
Arrows’ resilience and unwavering effort this season has filled Jackson with pride.
“We had quite a few disruptions throughout the year with injuries, illness and a few of our best players missing some of the roster for the Australian Netball League,” Jackson said.
“We have such a motivated bunch of players who are always keen to be the best they can.”
The consistent efforts of captain Hayley Sansom and young star Natasha Shirley have been particular standouts for Jackson, who has been coach for five years.
“[Sansom] has been a star and is always performing with her full effort, while Natasha Shirley stepped up when Kate Prins couldn’t play and has been really impressive,” Jackson said.
Arrows’ recent dominance of the Tasmanian Netball League has been stunning, having lost just one match in three seasons.
Despite this phenomenal streak, Jackson was keen to downplay any guarantee of a fourth consecutive title.
“Being at that level for so long can be mentally difficult at times,” Jackson said.
“We will certainly be hoping to be up there, but we might not be as dominant as we have been.”
After holding on to a core group of players in recent years, Jackson is aware that the team may lose a few players over the off-season, but is viewing it as an opportunity to further develop the depth of this premiership-winning squad.
“We have blooded a few young players this season, like Ellie Fleming in defence and Stacey Fox as a shooter, and they have both made the most of their opportunities,” he said.
“Our under-19s team played in the final before us and although they unfortunately lost, a big strength of ours is having a group that is deep with talent.” Anthony Osborn is a UTas journalism student.