Tara Murray
Injuries and illness have plagued Macedon in the first part of the Riddell District Netball League season.
The Cats have struggled to put their full team out on court early in the season and have just one win so far.
Coach Katie Clarke said the they’ve been hit with injury and illness throughout the whole year.
“I’ve had COVID and I missed a game,” she said.
“Taylah [Chamra] partially tore her ACL. Hetty [Donoghue] should be back in the next two week. Chelsea [Kemp] and Hayley [Birch] have been out for gams,
“Bronte [Green] hurt her ankle. Alex [ August-Leifi] has bursitis in her foot band Alex Cameron has an inflamed tendon in her foot and is in a moon boot.
“We had two teams of 10 players heading into the season. We’ve only played four games, but we haven’t had a full frit team on court yet,”
Clarke said while injury and illness make it tough, it opens up opportunities for others to step up.
She highlighted Eliza Petherick, who has been going really well in goals and shooting in the mid to high 80 per cent.
“We’ve been giving some young girls an opportunity,” she said. “When they play it then gives someone else an opportunity to come up in their spot.”
Clarke, who is in her first season as coaching, said they always knew that it would be a tough start to the season.
She said the whole playing squad had been good throughout the pre-season and into the season.
“We’ve gone back to basics,” she said. “Focusing on channels and first and second phase,” she said.
“We’re getting better each week and improving in being positive each.
“We’re seeing how all the girls are performing each week with statistics and more and moving into the positive side [in the stats] and we can see the improvement.
“If we get a full fit, seven all running out on the court, we’ll be strong.
“They’re all working really hard.”
Clarke said they felt they would be better in the second half of the season.
“You don’t win grand finals in the first quarter of the year,” she said. “ You want to be putting it all together in the second half.
“The aim is build on consistency and structure and what that looks like for us. We want to be executing towards the end of the season.”
