PROFILE
Redemption will be the buzz word at Swan Hill this year after their heartbreaking two-goal grand final loss, with the Swans hellbent on going one step further in 2023.
After being widely held as the team to beat for much of last season, Swan Hill fell agonisingly short of breaking an eight-year premiership drought, in a grand final that will be remembered for many years to come. But while that game is still fresh in the minds of all who witnessed it, it’s all but a distant memory for a Swans outfit that is hungry to return the competition powerhouse to the top of the tree.
For Madeleine Nalder – who will once again team up with Kelsey McCoy and Mollie Quin as joint coaches of the Swans – it’s all about preparation and planning.
“Obviously it hurt losing last year, but this year is a fresh start for us and that’s how we’re treating it – a new year and a new challenge,” Nalder said.
“We’re moving forward and the focus from this point on is on 2023 and just worrying about getting this season right and getting our squads right.”
“In terms of last year, I guess we can learn things from our own game – but in terms of our opposition, lots of things will have changed, so we’ll have to be flexible and move with the times.”
“Everyone starts the new season at zero and that’s the beauty of it – we’ll just go back to the basics and build as best we can across all four senior teams and build our depth and develop where we can and continue to strengthen what we already have.”
One major contributor who won’t be there is Zoe Livingston, with the midcourt star heading south to Kerang this season. Livingston will be a loss, but should be covered by any number of talented juniors coming up through the Swans ranks, according to Nalder.
“Zoe (Livingston) was a huge contributor for us across a number of years and there’s no doubt she’ll be difficult to replace with a like-for-like replacement,” Nalder said.
“I feel like we can develop some depth and that gap in the centre will just create an opportunity for either an existing A Grade player to make the switch, or someone new to come in and fill her role.”
While Swan Hill will look to rebuild their midcourt from within – they can hardly be accused of sitting on their hands when it comes to recruitment either, with goalies Zoe Morris (Tooleybuc-Manangatang), Jenna Jenkins (Ultima) and Kelly Stanger (returning) all pulling on the maroon and white this season.
With the same coaching structure and a very similar line-up, Nalder doesn’t envisage too many changes to the Swans structure or game style – and is keen to back in her club’s winning formula to get them through another season.
“We like playing it hard, but fair at the same time,” Nalder said.
“We like to think we pride ourselves on our teamwork and we’ve had a lot of consistency with a number of players having played together over a long period of time – we’ve got some really great connections between our players and that’s something that often helps us out on the court.”
FROM THE COACH
“We’re just looking to build and be consistent throughout the year – even though we didn’t quite get the job done in the grand final last year, I still think there’s plenty of positives to take out of it and into this season.”
KEY PLAYER
Madeleine Nalder
One of the absolute superstars of the Central Murray, Nalder commands each game with her presence alone. Tough, talented and skillful, last years’ joint league Best & Fairest winner will be one to watch again in 2023.
INs & OUTs
INs
Zoe Morris (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
Jenna Jenkins (Ultima)
Kelly Stanger (Returning)
OUTs
Zoe Livingston (Kerang)
Julia Amezdroz (Mallee Eagles)
