IF it is a young person’s world, then the world is Calivil United’s oyster – as far as the A-grade netball is concerned.
Because new coach Hayley Fawcett may well be fielding the youngest team in the competition as she looks to turn one of last season’s strugglers into a force to be reckoned with.
And on-court there will be a lot of expectation that experienced defender Michelle Balic will become the team leader.
“We have had some really good numbers at pre-season, which is always a good sign but particularly from so many younger ones,” Fawcett says.
“Unfortunately we have lost one of our main goalers, Amy Murfitt, which was a bit disappointing. She is heading up north, which is a really big loss,” she says.
“But we’ve kept Akeily Pearce, a fantastic defender, but we have also picked up her friend Adele Barber, to further bolster our defence (Barber is a former BFNL 17-and-under representative from 2022).
The season opener against (albeit depleted) back-to-back premier Maiden Gully will be a test, but you have to play everyone at some point and until you see where everyone is at, it’s hard to tell. I will be busting for a round one win.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Adele Barber: Coming out of the Strathfieldsaye Storm, this former BFNL 17-and-under representative is a promising defender who will combine well with Akeily Pearce, also “an awesome defender” to make the team very strong defensively.
