Gisborne Netball Club entered the weekend’s bye full of confidence it would be a contender, come finals’ time, in Bendigo Netball League.
The Bulldogs sit third on the ladder after an up-and-down start to the season. In recent weeks, the Bulldogs of old have reappeared to win several close matches.
Alongside injuries, the A-grade side has also had a change of coach. Simone Trevillian took on the role six weeks ago after Kerryn Jorgensen had to stand down due to other commitments.
Trevillian said it had been a smooth transition into the head coaching role.
“Kerryn stepped aside due to personal commitments. It has been really positive [among the players], and I was already assistant coach to her,” Trevillian said.
“I’ve been involved with the club the last three to four years … it’s been a big step for me.”
Trevillian said the catalysts for the season’s turnaround were a couple of close results in round seven and eight when the Bulldogs drew with second-placed Sandhurst before a shock loss to South Bendigo.
They have won their next four games since.
“The match against Sandhurst really stood out, and we picked up our level of play.
“The next week we were disappointing, but have found what we had against Sandhurst since,” Trevillian said.
“We’ve had a few injuries, which haven’t helped, but it has been an outstanding team effort.”
Trevillian, who has had to step up into A-grade from A-reserve due to players being unavailable, said this had given other girls opportunities to test their talent.
“Maddy Stewart is injured and Polly [Salter] has been on holidays. Both will be back for finals.
“We have missed Maddy in the shooting circle,” she said.
“I have come up and played goals, while Claire Anderson is another who has stepped up. Melinda Luke, who is an under-17, played her first game in the A-grade side as well. She has a lot of talent and will be a valuable player in years to come.”
The Bulldogs’ last match was a win against arch-rival Kyneton.
“We lost by 14 goals in round one against them, so it was good to get the win. This time we were up by 10 goals at three-quarter time,” Trevillian said. “They threw everything at us but we maintained our strength to get over the line.”
The Bulldogs are looking at a top-third finish come finals’ time.
“The first thing is we want to be competitive against ladder-leaders Golden Square this week,” Trevillian said.
