Tara Murray
Woodend-Hesket is juggling the pieces around early in the Riddell District Netball League season.
Last season’s premiers, the Hawks have had their full team once in the first five rounds.
Coach and star defender Tayissa Coppinger said it has been a challenging start.
“It’s been a pretty good start to the season but we’ve had to manage a few people being away,” she said.
“Hopefully things will settle down. We’ve only had one game with a full team. I think every game you have to be on your game and play at 100 per cent otherwise you won’t get the win.”
Coppinger said they would have to juggle absences throughout a lot of the season with them set to be short at least another two or three weeks.
She said it opens opportunities for others to step up and play bigger roles and those from B-grade to have the chance to play in the higher grade.
The Hawks sit 3-2 after the first five rounds.
Coppinger said they know they have some things in the next part of the season.
“Obviously there’s things to work on regardless if you are playing well or not,” he said.
“You need to look at areas where you can improve and find what you can work on. We need to improve when we step out together.
“We want to build on those connections now and where we are with each other and have that awareness.
“We need to just play our roles. At the moment we are having lapses of concentration.”
Coppinger said the connection the group had on court does help on court, with the group not just a team on Saturday.
He said they were all really close friends.
The Hawks this week face Wallan, which sits atop the ladder with a 4-1 record.
Coppinger said it would be another test for them.
“They’ve been doing really well and it’ll be a good test for us,” she said. “We will have a challenge on our hands for the whole 60 minutes.
“We won’t be able to come complacent at half time.”
