Tara Murray
Lancefield has turned to a premiership winning coach to lead it forward in the Riddell District Netball League.
The Tigers announced last week, that former Macedon coach Ciara Stewart had been appointed their A and B-grade coach.
Stewart had coached the Cats since 2016, before the club decided to head in a different direction midway through this season. She coached out the rest of the year, taking the B-grade side to a grand final and the A-grade team to a preliminary final.
Stewart has been named the league coach of the year on two occasions, while also claimed the Ryan Medal as the best player in the competition in 2016.
She said the Tigers had been really keen to get her involved.
“It seemed like the right fit for me and my family,” she said. “Jason [husband] is friends with Tommy [Waters] and he speaks highly of the club.
Stewart said the role at Lancefield felt right with plenty of support to allow her to just coach and not focus on other things.
She had previously told Stat Weekly she was keen to continue to coach in the league after her departure from the Cats.
She said she enjoyed the competition and what it had to offer.
“Leaving Macedon felt like the right time for my family,” she said. “I wanted to stay in the league as the competition is good.
“It’s not too far away and it’s very .convenient It’s only 30 minutes from home, it’s really close.”
Stewart said she was excited to work with the youth at the club.
The Tigers have focused on bringing through the young players at the club and area in recent years, instead of looking outside to top up the side.
Stewart said she was keen to work with those young players having played and coached against some of the them before.
“I already play with Mia [Daly] and I get to continue to play with her,” she said. “There’s lots of young girls there already and everyone seems to have a place.”
Stewart said they would likely to need a little bit of experience to support the younger players to help them rise up the ladder.
The Tigers finished bottom, failing to win a match this year.
Stewart said she may have some players follow her across from Macedon, but would know more once trials start.
“I’ll know more what gaps need to be filled,” she said. “This is new for me.”
As for her playing ambitions? Stewart said she would likely continue to play but wasn’t sure whether she would play A-grade or B-grade.
“They need some experience and I’m happy to do that if that’s what the team needs,” she said.
“I’ll step down to B-grade and I’m happy to do that if that’s best. I’ll see who is at trails and see where I’m needed. I might be needed to do more coaching in A-grade.
Meanwhile, Damian Cusack has been appointed C-grade and Tanae Bannan the under-19 coach.
