PROFILE
AFTER coming up short last year, the Mallee Eagles will be looking to return to the top in 2023 – and secure their first Central Murray A Grade netball trophy in the process.
After spending much of last season sitting in the top three on the ladder, the Eagles entered the finals series as one of the teams to beat. However, after securing a five-goal victory over Balranald in the qualifying final, it all went south from there – with a 17-goal loss to Swan Hill followed up by a heartbreaking seven-goal defeat to the Roos that ended their season a week early.
With Vicki McDonald stepping down as coach following their preliminary final exit, star defender and former Mallee Eagles coach Meg Allen has taken charge. Allen, who has also coached Bridgewater, as well as being McDonald’s assistant last year, said her team were quick to put their finals series disappointment behind them and were instead focusing on what’s ahead.
“(Last year) was a super-disappointing way to finish, but I think the thing that was great about the entire competition last year was that it was so close – especially throughout the finals series, with any team being able to beat anyone on their day,” Allen said.
“I really hope that it’s similar again this year – when it’s really tight across the league, it makes for better netball and it’s more fun to play too.
“Ideally, we’d all love to play well and win a premiership, particularly for your home club, I know I’d love nothing more – but in saying that, we’ll take it as it comes and, most importantly, we just want to do as well as we can and have as much fun as we can across all the grades.”
The Eagles will have a very different look about them this season, however, with a few key departures set to disturb their line-up. Tayla Foster has flown the nest to take over as coach at Golden Rivers club Ultima, while Claire Allen (GK) and Emelia Shannahan (GA) will also be missing from the Lalbert-based team’s line-up this year.
The news isn’t all bad however, with Julia Amezdroz (Swan Hill) and Megan Thorneycroft set to return to the fold and partner star goal shooter Kellie Walker up front. With midcourt dynamos Alicia Harvey and Sonya Lorenzoni continuing, along with the expected development of some talented juniors, Allen is more than bullish about the Eagles’ chances of breaking their premiership drought.
“We’ve got a really nice blend of experienced players that have been really consistent over the last few years and then a few younger players that will also be stepping up,” Allen said.
“We want to be versatile with our game plan and have a few different styles that work for us, so we can adjust to different teams that we face.”
“I’ve always felt it’s really beneficial to be able to play in different styles and structures – sometimes it’s better to play zone defence, sometimes it can be better to play one on one, sometimes it’s good to have a dominant goaler and other times it works best when it’s split evenly between your attackers.”
“Versatility is a big thing and it’s the way modern netball is heading – and that’s the direction we want to head, too.”
FROM THE COACH
“We’ve been among the better teams for the last couple of years and I think we can be up around the top of the ladder again this season – we’re going to have a few changes to our team, but we will still be hard to beat.”
KEY PLAYER
Kellie Walker
One of, if not the Central Murray’s most dangerous goal shooter, Walker more often than not holds the key for her team’s chances of victory. Deadly accurate from any distance and an almost impossible match-up for any defender.
INS & OUTS
INS
Megan Thorneycroft (Returning)
Julia Amezdroz (Swan Hill)
OUTS
Tayla Foster (Ultima)
Claire Allen
Emelia Shannahan
