Net Gains

SARAH LANGLEY, TEACHER IN CHARGE, NETBALL 2022 saw the first full season of APS Netball in three years with all players showing plenty of determination and energy throughout the season. Player numbers within our program remained strong with over 210 netballers and 19 teams participating each week. It was fantastic to see all teams and players take the court once more and for the opportunity of both skill and social development take place across the season.

Success, participation, and development are the key goals which we wish to achieve within the program and 2022 saw the continuation of these key aspects as well as new ventures and opportunities arise. Katrina Daws continued as the 1st’s coach and her leadership, expertise, and long-term vision for both the team and the program continued to gain momentum each week. Team and player development was a weekly focus, and our enthusiastic coaches ensured all players had the opportunity to improve their skill and game awareness. Professional development opportunities for our coaches increased with mid season review and player feedback sessions introduced. Access to premium coaching resources were also provided. A highlight for the year was the involvement of Melbourne Vixen defender Emily Mannix within our program in Terms 1 and 3. Term 1 saw us introduce the TGC Netball Academy with 62 students from Years 7-12 participating in an 8-week academy run by Emily. In these sessions, Emily coached the players on the ball and footwork skills required to play at the elite level as well as game play strategies, nutritional planning and an insight to the highs and lows of her netball pathway, including management of injury and missing out on representative teams. As Emily was balancing her involvement with the College as well as her own playing career, there was an opportunity for retired Australian Diamond goalie Tegan Phillip to take the academy one week,

complementing Emily’s defensive work with a specialist attacking session. With Emily and Tegan having both grown up locally, the academy provided a brilliant opportunity for our netballers to gain insight into the pathways and opportunities available to our regional based netballers.

Emily returned in Term 3 after the conclusion of the Suncorp Super Netball season to take trainings across all year levels and divisions, providing in-season coaching to both players and coaches. Emily’s enthusiasm was contagious and there were plenty of smiles across the courts each session. During this time, Emily also worked with the 1sts to complete a specialist defensive training, linking strategies and skills already implemented into their game along with new suggestions and ideas. I know all players involved loved their time with Emily during the year, with many taking the tips and personalised feedback given by Emily into their netball seasons.

All the continual improvements undertaken this year saw us have one of our most successful seasons to date. High participation rates saw us cancel only one out of 172 games due to COVID unavailability and along with good planning and communication, those who wished to play community netball were able to balance commitments to both club and school. Players and coaches undertook umpiring duties on a weekly basis, with umpire education and training an aspect of our program we wish to expand next year. The strength and conditioning program increased in its second year with more players gaining access to expert coaches and specialised individual programs. Success is always enjoyable and through the hard work of our players and coaches, we shared some incredible results this season. A summary of games won by each division include Seniors 71%, Intermediates 85% and Juniors 75%. This includes four teams progressing through the season undefeated – a tremendous effort which must be commended. A particular highlight for our program was the brilliant season had by our 1sts, who recorded 10 wins with only 1 loss to finish second on the APS ladder. This included strong wins against Caulfield, Haileybury and Wesley as well as a 27-goal victory against Grammar on Derby Day. Highlighting our dominance within the competition, four College players were selected in the APS representative team. The girls then proceeded to finish in the top four of the state at the Victorian Schools Championships, losing to eventual winner Ivanhoe Grammar in the semi-final by four goals.

As we move forward to 2023 and beyond, the focus of our program must be to capture the success of the year we have had, using it to further enhance our player and coach development so that we continue to be high performing within the APS and state programs. Maintaining connections with VNL teams and pathway opportunities will be important and this, alongside the exciting Bellerin project where our netballers will have access to state-ofthe-art courts and training facilities, can only bolster our program even further.