It’s time to shine for the Goulburn Valley’s upper crust of netball players and coaches.
Four names from the wider Greater Shepparton area have been selected among the Victorian State Teams, with the 17-and-under side underpinned by Shepparton Football Netball Club duo Jacinta Todd and Mackenzie O’Dwyer.
Todd, a coaching mastermind, has been given head mentor responsibilities.
Meanwhile, up-and-coming star O’Dwyer will suit up in state colours alongside 11 of Victoria’s best and brightest talents in the age bracket.
Shepparton Swans’ shooter Harriet Gall has gained selection to the 19-and-under squad, while newly-minted Nathalia co-coach Tracey Brereton has been handed the reins of the side.
“I’m really excited; we just finished our selections ― the team has only just come out yesterday,” Brereton said.
“It’s pretty exciting to see in the 19-and-under age group, that we’ve got some local, regional girls.
“Harriet Gall is back in the team, then we’ve got Mia Lavis from Albury-Wodonga and Eliza Mooney, who is also from Albury-Wodonga way, coming into a state team for the very first time.”
The Goulburn Valley quartet launches into training this Friday and Sunday before jetting off to camp in Hobart next weekend.
From there, two rigorous months of training will ensue.
It’s all in preparation for the National Netball Championships held in Frankston on April 7 to 14, and with Brereton yet to experience a home tournament in about a decade of coaching for Victoria, the buzz is already building.
“We start this Friday and we’re all systems go until just after April. The championships are actually in Frankston this year, so they’re in Victoria,” Brereton said.
“I haven’t been involved in a nationals as a coach where it’s been in Victoria yet, so it’s an opportunity for family and friends to come see Victoria play.”
Brereton is also gearing up to coach Bendigo Strikers’ fresh franchise team in its inaugural Victorian Netball League tilt, which begins on March 6.
Gall and O’Dwyer are also involved in the Strikers’ mix this season.