The North Warrnambool Eagles have rallied around up-and-coming netballer Zoe Bussell, who will miss the rest of the Hampden league season after snapping her Achilles, according to coach Jaime Barr.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bussell, 17, made the jump to the open division this year after honing her craft in the junior ranks in 2018.
She will undergo surgery in Warrnambool on Wednesday to treat the injury suffered in the third quarter of North's six-goal loss to Cobden in round two.
Our focus has been on Zoe and trying to support her through this.
- Jaime Barr
"That's pretty hard to cop at her age," Barr told The Standard.
"It's going to be a big recovery and the hardest part for the club was Skye Billings did exactly the same thing two years ago, so we all knew what she was in for."
Barr said the teenager had put in a body of work over summer to put her hand up for the open grade.
Despite the crushing blow, she was proud of the way both Bussell and the club had dealt with the situation.
"Our focus has been on Zoe and trying to support her through this," the mentor said. "We pretty much had last week off and just went out for dinner to keep perspective.
"I know she was really disappointed, but for everyone else it just reminds us how lucky we are to play netball each week."
The injury to Bussell has opened the door for speedster Phoebe Wittman to get her first taste of top flight netball when North, currently fourth on the ladder, meets fifth-placed Terang Mortlake on Saturday.
Wittman will follow in the footsteps of Ash Ferguson, who made her open grade debut in round two.
And while she was sad to hear of Bussell's season-ending injury, Bloods coach Lisa Arundell said the Eagles were renowned for their squad depth.
"I know she's going to be a massive out for them," the mentor said. "It's a shame, because Zoe is a beautiful player.
"But they've got some great youth coming through and in some respects we're trying to follow in their footsteps."
Arundell said there would only be one change to the side that beat Warrnambool by 10 goals in round two with Libby Moloney coming in for captain Aimee Moloney, who is attending a wedding.
Libby Moloney played 18 games for Terang Mortlake in 2018 and returns to the side after deferring her studies out of town.
She will be one of just three Bloods taking the court on Saturday who played under Arundell last season.
"We're thrilled to have her back," Arundell said.
"She has a sense of what I'm asking from the girls and the style of play I want.
"Having said that, it's pretty much a new team, so we're still gelling.
"It's going to be a tough game against North, they're travelling well."
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.