ALCOHOL usually comes to mind when the term Sunday session is raised. But Koroit had a different type of Sunday session recently, opting to train the day after its round 12 victory over Cobden. “We just sat down and realised that it’s only six weeks until finals,” coach Kate Dobson said. “We’ve only trained once a week so we want to increase that a little bit. Sunday just seemed to fit in with everyone.” The Saints will look at training twice every fortnight leading up to the finals, not necessarily always on a Sunday. Dobson said Sunday’s session obviously wasn’t as physically demanding as one on a week day. “It’s more tactics and full-court systems,” she said. The coach said she was looking at keeping 10 players — which includes a sound mix of veterans and teenagers — for her senior side this season, particularly after Koroit had injury concerns ahead of last year’s grand final.
WHILE some regional state leagues are expected to get a slight revamp, Western Regional State League (WRSL) is meeting the competition requirements. Netball Victoria competitions manager Michelle Gerdtz told The Standard she was pleased with the WRSL. “We want (regional state league) to be more of a representative and association-based competition rather than a club one,” she said. “Some clubs are entering their own teams and treating it as a pre-season competition. We want players to play with people they don’t normally play with. We want it to be a selection of the best, which is what the Western state league is already doing.” She acknowledged that Colac Tigers entered this year’s competition as a club but said if Netball Victoria needed to, it could make it a representative team.
VIDEOTAPING matches is not unusual but going to the effort to record a game other than your own in the home-and-away season is. The rumour mill suggests that’s what a committed south-west club has done but not without drama. Apparently one of the opposition teams the club was taping wasn’t too impressed they were being caught on camera, so they told them to go away.
CONGRATULATIONS to Old Collegians netballer Liz Alderson, who played her 150th match. Since returning from injury earlier this season, Alderson’s experience has steadied the Warriors’ A grade side, which will be looking to mark her milestone with an upset victory against ladder leader East Warrnambool.
SATURDAYS are seeing several south-west teams get a grip — literally. When there’s slippery conditions, it’s now common to see sides smothering their hands in sticky grip pre-match.
A DISAPPOINTING number of applications has caused a development coaching accreditation course to be cancelled. The course was scheduled for Sunday at Warrnambool netball stadium. It is unfortunate after Netball Victoria and Western Region Netball organised the course in a bid to help foundation coaches move onto the next level.
WHILE the future of umpiring looks bright at South Warrnambool, its future in Hampden Football Netball League is not as healthy, according to Shirley McSwain. The South umpires co-ordinator was pleased to announce that five umpires were awarded their C badge recently — South’s Olivia Krygger, Grace Paulin, Sue Fleming and Bridget Smith and Terang Mortlake’s Sarah Logan. Meanwhile, South’s Leah Kermeen and Amy Hilton obtained their B badge. McSwain believed the badges were well deserved. “South has a rule that we don’t allow umpires to umpire Hampden league unless they have been accredited, so we had some umpires do the Sunday juniors to get some experience,” she said. “They also did some practice matches and training sessions.” The former Hampden league netball president believed clubs would eventually become responsible for providing umpires. “I think in the future, clubs are going to have to supply their own,” she said. “The umpire panel was set up about five years back but numbers are starting to dwindle because there’s no development coming through.” South’s development is highlighted by Grace, Bridget and Olivia, teenagers who play in the Roosters’ junior ranks. “There’s not a lot of young girls around who both play and umpire,” McSwain said. “Hopefully (all of the umpires who were badged last Saturday) gain more experience and work on their accreditation.”
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