Giants ready
Southern Mallee Giants’ first year in Wimmera Netball Association might not have been the smoothest transition.
But finding your feet against a new batch of competitors can be a challenge.
Giants’ A Graders ended their 2018 season seventh on the ladder, with a match ratio falling strongly against their favour – three wins, 13 losses.
Retrace to a season earlier and you see quite the opposite, with the side taking on board a healthy 12 wins in 2017’s Horsham and District Football Netball League competition.
And while A Grade co-coach Maddelyne Shannon said there was something to take from last year, all eyes were facing forward.
She said the side was keen to be more competitive now it had a season of experience in the new league.
“Last year was quite tough with injury and pregnancy, but pre-season training has been quite good,” she said.
“We have got good numbers, which are on the mark I think, and it will be good to have some locked-in talent this season.
“We are just trying to focus on being competitive and reducing margins that we saw last year.”
Giants netball director Mikala Roberts said the club would strive for all teams to
play in finals, using the start of the season to scope out what was and was not working, and build from there.
“Things are shaping up quite nicely. But the ultimate goal is to get all teams up there,” Ms Roberts said.
“We will probably use the first half of the season to gauge where we are at, and the second half to get all the way to finals.”
Player line-ups this season will be quite a change, with both A Grade coaches, Shannon and Janelle Lawson, stepping off court. The Giants have also lost Ruby Fisher and Zoe Turnbull.
Shannon said as a result, training sessions would focus on building a strong team chemistry among the new group.
“It is quite a new group, but we have also picked up some fresh new faces, which is quite exciting,” she said.
“So, with a lot of new players it is about getting to know each other and getting to know new bodies at the moment.
“But it was also quite hard at the same time with tennis finals on – a lot of the girls had already committed to that.
“We had a practise round-robin match against Birchip and Jeparit-rainbow, which was a really good hit-out.
“We have quite a focus on fitness and on building our defence, but we are just working on the basics and developing our own game. We just want to make the club proud.”