Gisborne has secured one of the state’s top netball coaches for its A-grade team for next season.
The club announced last month that Australian and Victorian player Guy Keane would coach the side next season in the Bendigo Netball League.
Keane has an extensive coaching background, including involvement with state teams and Victorian Netball League teams.
He is currently an apprentice coach with the Australian Netball League side Victorian Fury.
Coaching Gisborne will be his first foray into the challenge of a football-netball club, but it’s one he’s excited to take on.
“It’s going to be a little challenging on both ends,” he said before the first training session.
“I’m looking forward to hitting the court with the girls and experiencing the community culture of the club.
“I’ll bring some high performance elements to the club. I think it’ll be a good mix.”
Keane comes to the club through a connection with star defender Madeline Stewart.
“I coached Maddi in the state under-21 side earlier this year,” he said. “She was putting out feelers if I knew anyone or whether I was interested in coaching the side [Gisborne].
“It went from there.”
He said building on the past couple of seasons is the main aim. The Bulldogs made finals this year, losing to eventual grand finalists Golden Square in the semi-finals.
“The club and the girls are excited to take the next step,” he said. “We just don’t want to play finals. There’s a go
od vibe around the club and, hopefully, we can recruit a few players to add to a talented playing group.”
Keane said they were looking at bringing in a couple of players to strengthen the side.
“There’s a couple of key positions up for grabs,” he said. “The club is happy for me to chat with a couple of girls from Melbourne.
“We want to keep the country feel to the club though. Any player has to commit to the club and the community feel of the club.”
He said some of the younger players would continue to be given opportunities.
The Bulldogs’ under-17 team won this year’s grand final.
Keane said his commitments with the Victorian Fury might have had a slight impact during the pre-season and opening rounds of the season, but the club had been understanding.
“The ANL is over before the season really gets going.
“The club has been really great about it.”
The Bulldogs will kick off their season on Good Friday against local rival Kyneton.
Meanwhile, Maddi Stewart will again be part of Melbourne University’s championship division side in the Victorian Netball League.
Another Bulldogs’ player from this season, Maddison Gay, has been named in the division 1 team.
