TWO more pieces in the Hampden netball league coaching jigsaw fell into place yesterday with Cobden and Portland announcing their 2015 leaders.
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Cobden reappointed Tarryn Hill for a second season at the helm of the Bombers’ A grade side and Portland extended Kerri Jennings’ one-year stint to two.
The announcements come as some clubs are struggling to fill A grade coaching vacancies.
Jennings is looking forward to building on the Tigers’ maiden Hampden league netball finals appearance.
She is expecting further development from the club’s talented teenagers.
“I’m excited because we have kept the nucleus of the team we had this season,” Jennings said. The team will include 2013 league best and fairest winner Lauren Hockley and rising star Tayla Falconer in goals.
Jennings, who assumed a mid-court role in the second half of the season to fill a void, is on the lookout for a centre, unsure about whether she will extend her decorated career in 2015.
The 48-year-old said if the Tigers found a centre, she would return to being a non-playing coach.
Jennings had only committed for a one-year coaching term leading into 2014 but was pleased to be on board for next season.
“I only had a 12-month contract but Lauren (Hockley) told me it was always a two-year contract,” she laughed.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Jennings led the Tigers to their first Hampden league finals series in 2014. After finishing the home-and-away season fifth on the ladder, the Tigers claimed a historic first finals victory with a one-goal triumph over South Warrnambool in the elimination final.
The following week, the Tigers were eliminated by North Warrnambool Eagles in the first semi-final.
Jennings’ Cobden counterpart Tarryn Hill is also looking for development from younger players next season.
Hill, a lawyer, who lived in Geelong and worked in Werribee and Melbourne, has moved back to Cobden and works in Colac.
She is looking forward to spending less time on the road. She has relinquished her A1 coaching duties so she can have a bigger focus on A grade.
“It’s going to be a good season,” she said.
“We’ve retained our full list from last year and that’s a really promising thing for us.”
She said teenager Rebecca Rohan, who was joint winner of the club’s best and fairest award alongside the experienced Natalie Tongs, was one of several emerging talents at Cobden.
“We are looking for more development from those girls,” Hill said.
The Bombers finished ninth in 2014 but Hill said the club had the potential to climb the ladder next season with several players stepping up from junior ranks.
Pre-season training begins next Tuesday.
Three of the competition’s 10 A grade sides are without coaches for 2015.
Warrnambool, South Warrnambool and Camperdown and are yet to finalise their leaders.
Meanwhile, Port Fairy officially welcomed new coach Kellie Sommerville to Gardens Oval on Saturday.
The midcourter and her defender sister Emma were unveiled at a meet-the-coach gathering ahead of the club’s official start to pre-season training.
grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au