LAKE BOGA
IT would be easy for Lake Boga to fall into the trap of being caught up in what almost was last season, but coach Anne-Marie Stewart is confident that won’t happen.
The Magpies were well and truly the benchmark of the competition last year, only losing one game by a single goal during the home-and-away season.
They were well poised to take home their Premiership Cup come finals. However, a devastating overtime loss to Swan Hill dashed that dream.
But Stewart is not letting her team dwell on the past.
“Mainly, things that happened were out of our control, so we will start to look at how we can rein that in, and also just keep developing on the next step of the players’ journey,” she said.
“We can’t change it, we only can only control the future.”
With pre-season now well underway, the Magpies have started the new year with a fresh perspective and a positive mindset – one that is more focussed on growing as people and players, rather than the results on the scoreboard.
“Our girls play because they like each other, they are friends,” Stewart said.
“They turn up to play with each other and enjoy each other’s company and enjoy the social life within the club as well. It is about friendship I think, it’s not all about winning.”
The Magpies will likely be among the top teams again this season, sporting a very similar line-up in their A Grade as last year. Sister shooting duo Sarah and Katie Hepburn have both signed back on, as well as Jemma Meehan, Lily Brennan, Taigan O’Shannassy and Emma and Sophie Peacock.
Also returning to the court this year is experienced defender Felicity Robertson.
However, while Holly Hogan will play some games, she is set to miss a lot of the season travelling, which will leave a big gap in the Magpies midcourt.
But assistant coach Sheridan Harrop is feeling confident for the season ahead, and said it is hard to pick out just one player to keep an eye on.
“They have all got their own journey this year to learn, so it is hard to pick just one out of the crew – we have got seven players on the court at any time that all deserve recognition,” she said.
Another aspect the club is looking to focus on this year is increasing the skills of their coaches across the board, travelling to Melbourne in the off season to learn from some of the best coaches in the country.
Harrop said they will now put in place a development program for their players, hoping to ensure the future success of the club.
“We obviously have plenty of numbers in our juniors and across our seniors which is great, we’re fortunate to be in that position,” Harrop said.
“But just to support our coaches, the junior development program will be put in place, and we will have specialised sessions for seniors.
“We are more about development than anything else – it’s not around winning as such, it’s trying to set the foundation skills on the right path and then developing our players.”
FROM THE COACH: “We don’t even talk about winning. We don’t set goals, we don’t say anything about wining. It is about growing our netball and being a team.”
PLAYER TO WATCH: Sarah Hepburn – Wining club Best and Fairest two years running, the talented shooter plays a crucial role in the success of the Magpies attack end. Working mostly alongside sister Katie, Hepburn is tall and steady in her stance, holding strong against her defenders.
INS: Felicity Robertson, Sophie Disher
OUTS: Holly Hogan, Maddy Gleeson (Moulamein)
