THE NAMBUCCA Valley Netball Association 15s chose the step up from Division 4 to Division 3 for this year’s State Age Championships. Coaches Vicki Wassens and Mandy Spear were realistic in aiming for a Top 10 position in the tougher division.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Day 1 saw strong winds take away the long pass, high ball feed, and any long range shot at goal. The players adjusted to a shorter passing game, and worked the shooters closer to the post with low ball feeds. Although mistakes were made, the players rallied to finish the day ninth on the ladder.
Day 2 brought much better conditions for netball as NVNA took to the court against the teams sitting in the top five. This did not daunt the girls, going from strength to strength playing impressive netball against the rattled top sides. NVNA won each of their matches against these higher ranked sides, earning fifth spot on the ladder.
Day 3 started with NVNA against the second placed team. With the coaches continually asking the players to be better than their opposition and to do the little things right, the girls did just that. Remaining calm and sticking to their trained court structure saw the result go their way.
With 13 games played and four to go, the fatigue and niggling injuries were evident. However, the chance to remain in the top five of the ladder had the players digging deep and encouraging each other on and off the court, to complete Day 3 undefeated.
Having played 17 games of netball over three days, the NVNA 15s were proud to have finished equal second on points, relegated to third on countback by 0.38 per cent.
“Finishing where we did is unbelievable. They were amazing, and the successful result can be put down to team cohesion,” coaches Vicki and Mandy said. “We knew what they were capable of, and had trained them accordingly, but we were waiting to see it on the court. And didn’t they do it at the right time! They were so impressive, we couldn’t be more proud of each of them.”
The 15s team consisted of powerhouse defenders Montana Wall and Lucy Green who nailed their circle defence and communication to take intercepts and rebounds. Energiser bunnies and bull terrier centre courters Kira Goodwin, Bree Ferguson, Lillah Hoffman, Tamsyn Spear and Piper Mckinnon controlled the mid court, working tirelessly to maintain possession of the ball, and pressured the opposition to earn the side a huge amount of turnovers. Legendary goalers Tamika Wheatland and Gemma Summerville owned the attacking end, with a rhythm and positional understanding that defenders couldn’t combat, rewarding the teams hard work by shooting at over 85 per cent for the tournament
