The netball director will lead the club’s top team for the 2019 Hampden league season, but said she initially wanted to continue coaching juniors.

"A few senior players went to the group that was selecting the coaches and put my name forward and floated the idea with me, that's how we got to this position,” she said.

"It made it easier to make the decision knowing I had the support of the senior girls and the playing group and then the younger girls I have coached at junior level.

"So it is nice to know that you have got that backing."

The experienced coach said even with full support of the players’ she still had mixed feelings.

Wombwell has coached Portland to a premiership and the Kangaroos to a grand final at 17 and under level.

"I am excited and a bit nervous," she said. "It is a step up but I wanted to take on the challenge and have a crack at it.

"Last season when Mel (Starr) was away a couple of times I took on the role as open coach and really enjoyed working with the open girls.

"And having coached a lot of the juniors I know what their strengths and weaknesses are and I know that they are capable of playing senior netball.”

Wombwell, who will step down as netball director next month, said she had already identified her main priority.

"We just have to get our club culture right and that is the big aim because culture is so important,” she said.

"I am big on team culture and that we play for the right reasons and enjoy each other's company. If we all do that wins just seem to happen.”

The former four-time Tyrendarra premiership player said once the club’s culture was right she believed it would lead to on-court success.

"You go into every season with that ultimate goal of wanting to win the premiership," she said.

"And for us I would love to see us make finals, I still think we have the group there that can do it.

"It is just them having that belief in each other and having the team culture that we are there for the right reasons and playing as one.

"I think we can make finals and once you get in anything can happen.”

The club has also re-appointed Rhianne Lewis as division one coach.

"I think every year she has coached division one they have made nearly a prelim final or better,” Wombwell said.

"As the open coach I want to work really closely with division one. We might even have a floating-squad for a while until we see how the seasons going.

"And we’ll work closely with the 17s because a lot of those girls will be involved in senior sides."