The Young Under 17s netball team is excited to be travelling to Penrith this weekend to play in the state championships.
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Coach Rachel Hall said the girls had been selected in November and had been training twice a week since February in preparation for the competition.
“The competition level is very high and you don’t get that very often,” she said.
“I think it will be tough for us to come home with a trophy, but I also think the girls have improved out of sight, so hopefully if we can get probably in the top ten, I’d be really happy with that.”
Hall said shooter Annalyse Jarrold - a new comer to Young - was improving every game and had a great knack for calming the attack end down when needed. Michaela Hall was singled out as having terrific shooting accuracy and strength.
She said Emily Mulquiney had trained the house down and was a wonderful asset to the team and Emily Griffin was ready and very capable to take on any task.
Of the centre players, she said Caitlin Green had good timing and skill, Paige Hall was one of the year’s best improvers, making the opposition teams stand up and notice, and Amy Bell had fantastic ability to create opposition turnovers when her team needed her the most.
Of the defence players, she said Mel Spring had a high work ethic and created lots of opportunities for intercepts, while Danielle Miller - who had been injured this season - was ready to make her comeback with her trademark elevation and speed.
Also in defence, Hall said, Nikela Coulter was a great leader both on and off the court and had been a tireless worker this year.
Coulter said the team had been training hard and had a good chance of getting a result they could be proud of.
“We’ve had a few new girls come up, so it was good to get to know them and learn how to play with them and then form the team that we have,” she said.
Hall and the girls said they would like to thank Margaret Corbett and the wonderful group of ladies who made their gala day on Sunday a hard, but fantastic experience, the parents who had been a part of their journey and finally their umpires, without whom netball wouldn’t run, especially Karen and Maureen who were coming to the championships on the weekend.
“I think the girls will get a great deal out of it,” said Hall. It’s always a great weekend and the kids always get to enjoy each other’s company, as well as learn lots of new skills.”