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    Jenna Bywaters.

2020 HDFNL COUNTDOWN: Kalkee netballers building momentum

By SARAH MATTHEWS

A similar-looking Kalkee A Grade outfit will look to build on previous seasons’ hard work by pushing further into finals in 2020.

The Kees have qualified for Horsham District finals the past two seasons, finishing sixth in both 2019 and 2018 after showing improvement under coach Jaymi O’Connor.

O’Connor will coach B Grade this year, with versatile and experienced netballer Casey Jess crossing from Wimmera outfit Horsham to take on A Grade’s top job.



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Kalkee netball director Rebekah Caccaviello said Jess was a great addition to the club.

“We welcome Casey into our A Grade side with welcome arms, she is going to bring so much experience and talent to the side,” she said.

“She is not only a fantastic player but she also has an amazing netball brain. She will be a great leader not only for our A Grade side but all senior and junior grades.”

Jess plays a variety of positions, including goals, but Mrs Caccaviello said she expected the new coach to fill a hole in the centre court. 

“She can play pretty much anywhere on the court and she will perfectly fill the gap caused by the departure of our centre, Millie McRae,” she said.

“Millie will be doing some travelling, while Lauren Dodgshun has some amazing news and will be expecting a baby later in the year. 

“We wish all the girls the best for the future and hope that we can welcome them back to the club next year.”

Mrs Caccaviello said pre-season was progressing well, with netballers training twice a week.

“One night we will focus on fitness and the second will be mainly game play and ball skills,” she said.

“I think fitness is a major focus for any pre-season, we all have a great time in the off-season so it always hurts a little more in the first couple of weeks.

“We have also already hit the court, getting our hands on the ball and trying to get back into the swing of things. 

“We hope to have our team selections completed relatively early so that we can begin to work on team bonding and structures in the lead-up to that first round.”

Mrs Caccaviello said netball leaders were pleased with numbers on the training track. 

“There are lots of new faces, which is very exciting,” she said.

“We will be fielding all grades and hoping to rotate some of our junior players through the senior grades to give them some experience.

“As a whole we are hoping our teams will remain relatively the same, but there will be some movement. 

“We have lost a number of girls through work commitments and life in general, but in saying that we have also welcomed a number of new faces who will fill in those spaces nicely.”

Mrs Caccaviello said the club hoped to enjoy a successful season, both on and off court.

“We pride ourselves on our junior development and we hope to continue this, and hope to be able to give our juniors opportunities to grow by playing in senior sides where numbers allow,” she said. 

“In relation to our A Grade, we hope to build on the hard work that Jaymi has put in over the last couple of years. 

“Jaymi worked endlessly to build our A Grade side and had the success of making finals two years in a row.

“We hope to build on this and make it further into the final series.”

 

Coaches:

A Grade: Casey Jess

B Grade: Jaymi O’Connor

C Grade: Rebecca Hudson

C Reserve: Kerryn Adams and Kara Reinheimer

17 and under: Jenna Bywaters and Jaymi O’Connor

15 and under: Melissa Beddison

13 and under: Mel Schultz

Modified: Lotus Martin and Emma Glover

The entire February 19, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!