Fair and competitive
Wimmera Football Netball League’s most-northern institution, Southern Mallee Giants, has settled as a regional power club since league-hopping in 2018.
The Giants’ senior football team scored a coveted top-two finish by the end of the 2021 season, which would have set the side up nicely for a premiership tilt, albeit for COVID-19 restrictions.
Ditto the club’s A Grade netball team, which finished top of the ladder.
Incoming president Nathan Williams said the club earned a lot of respect from the Wimmera league since its move from Horsham district league.
“We want to be a good club that plays fair,” he said.
“We have been really competitive as a club since joining the league and we feel our opposition respects the club in that way too.”
Mr Williams said the club prided itself on being successful and fair. “We will always have a go,” he said. “Regardless of results that is what we take pride in. We like to be successful, but also have fun while doing it.”
Incoming netball coach Anthony Schache played a significant role at the Giants’ pre-merger roots-club Hopetoun.
He brings with him a netball coaching history as well as significant committee experience.
He said the A Grade side was excited to start the season, however, yearly player movement meant the team had lost more players than gained.
“We have picked up some good players, so we do hope to be competitive in 2021,” Schache said.
“As a small club though, we have to give our junior players every opportunity to develop and keep them around as long as we can.
“Every team has to keep promoting juniors and younger players into senior roles, which we will do.”
Schache said the side had the ends and midcourt covered with fit and hard-working players.
“We want to be the best prepared team we can and the girls have been working extremely hard this pre-season to accomplish that,” he said.
He said the side would not set itself ‘win-based’ goals in 2022, other than being the best netball side it could be.
“The focus is to enjoy ourselves on the court, celebrate the small wins and not focus on the big picture goals of finals or premierships just yet,” he said.
“We do want to be known as hard to play against though.”
Schache said from watching the Giants netballers from ‘outside’ the team, he praised the professionalism and energy.
“It is a happy club to be a part of. It is well run and the president is sensational,” he said.
“I am happy to be involved with the club again and am looking forward to working with the girls throughout the season.”
Senior football coach Luke Mahony said the side had also lost some experienced players since last season; gone to explore coaching roles at other clubs.
“We have had a little bit of turnover since 2021,” he said.
“Brock Orval, Clint Burdett and Ted Lindon have all moved on, which is a few good players you never want to head off. They are a big loss.
“But we are happy with our recruiting for this season. We have picked up a few guys to top up our list.
“Now it is about getting stuck into the season and seeing how we stand up to other sides that also had big off-season recruiting.”
Mahony said every pre-season the ‘rumour-mill’ ran hot with speculation about player turnover and finals pre-determination, but until games were played ‘you just do not know where you stand’.
He said the team would continue to move the ball quickly and break the game open when possible, as they did in 2021.
“We always want to be that team that is hard to play against over four quarters. Whoever we play they will face a group that will give it their all, all game,” he said.