It was a tough hit for our 19/U girls at the National Netball Championships. With some extremely tough and close matches, our girls finished 8th overall after the week long tournament. We sat down with head coach Tara Steel for a little Q&A post nationals.
Tough tournament for the 19s this year, but what were some of the team's strengths and struggles you saw during the tournament?
We had a great defensive performance, with the ability to win ball and restrict and slow teams down right through the court in their ability to score. We had a young and less experienced group than some of our opponents and had limitations with a smaller mid-court and smaller mobile goal circle.
Despite not securing any wins, were there matches where you felt the team showed significant improvement or promise?
Our round match vs SA was a highlight, where we really stepped up after a couple of tough losses early in the week and continued to improve and challenge, with all players contributing.
Can you identify any standout players who consistently performed well or showed exceptional potential throughout the tournament?
Elise Robinson and Alice Henman were our most consistent across the week from a defensive perspective. Lara McGilvray also really stepped up in the mid court and had a high work rate against some much taller opponents and really played to her strengths.
Reflecting on the overall experience, what lessons do you think the players and coaching staff can take away from this tournament?
Our mental resilience and ability to continue to learn, implement feedback and challenge each team in different ways. The team stayed positive despite our challenges and results and kept trying to find ways to achieve success individually, in court units and as a team.
Looking ahead, what specific areas do you believe the team/ACT needs to focus on in order to improve and be more competitive in future competitions?
Competition exposure and depth continues to be a challenge as the gap gets a little bigger. In the 19s age group some of our opponents are SSN training partners with exposure to that training environment or have had ANC campaigns also. But with 8 athletes at age eligible for another campaign, I hope they work hard in their District environments for the rest of this season and come back motivated to improve and take the next step up.
