2017 Goosebumps Reports

8Red Ballerinas Wow! What a fabulous season the Ballerinas have had. With a mix of girls new to netball and those who played last year there was a lot of learning mixed in with having fun and making friends. The team consisted of 10 very enthusiastic little netballers – Halle, Mikayla F, Mikayla G, Cadence, Stevie, Libby, Miriam, Daniella, Tahlia and Rosie.

All the girls turned up each week with a big smile ready to learn new skills, practice and improve old skills and enjoy being together and having fun. We saw the girls grow from individuals who were trying their hardest to get everything right, into a team of girls who showed great sportsmanship towards each other and the other teams, developed confidence to use new skills and make decisions on the court, and used ever improving skills to work together as a team.

The girls were happy to be rotated through all positions regularly and it was exciting to see all the girls get at least one goal during the season (I think!). They also understood that court time needed to be shared so that it was fair for everyone and they were happy to take their turn off.

We encouraged the girls to always try hard and do their best. We tried to instil in them that at this age they are there to learn, have fun and make friends and if they won that was a bonus.

As a result, by the end of the season the girls were more focused on their performance rather than the scoresheet.

Our great bunch of parents, grandparents and supporters are to be commended on their very positive support and encouragement of the girls throughout the season. One of our umpires made the comment one week that our supporters were the most supportive and encouraging she had come across in a long time. So, a big thank you to all the parents and grandparents, you have made our job so much easier.

Thank you to the DNC committee for your great organisation and support throughout the season.

Our goal for this year of Net Set Go was for the girls to have fun, learn new skills and make new friends and we hope that we have achieved this. We hope the girls enjoyed their netball season as much as we have and that all will return to netball next year. Leonie and Amy

8White Cherubs

This year saw some very young Cherubs commence with Dapto Netball Club, the youngest being Indy BRADLEY and Jayda STRINGER. Both of these girls participated in the IDNA Skills Program in 2016. This program also provided another four graduates, Addison BICKNELL, Lilah BICKNELL, Zoey ERIKSON and Mikayla GORNALL. The skills program is a great first stage program and introduction to netball for girls as young as five.

The team had one player who had played Net Set Go in 2016, Charlotte COYLE, Charlotte was the oldest member of the team, and showed some great potential during the season. Her maturity was an asset to myself and Alkira as the coaches. She was also voted as the “person who made my netball year in 2017 the most fun” by her teammates.

The remainder of the Cherubs are Charlotte GRAY, Lucy LANGLANDS and Aria MCKELLAR, this trio rounded out the team of ten, and their bright bubbly personalities were a delight each and every week. The girls tried hard each week, they listened at training, and were able to use the skills we practised each week. They were all active participants each week at training and on Saturday morning, and were happy to take the court in their allocated positions. Each week the team cheer was loud and proud and the smiling faces at the end of the game made for a great rest of the day, for me.

The girls all learnt the basic principles of the game and each week the umpire and other team coaches would comment on their skill level, in regard to ball control, not stepping and understanding of the positions and where teach player can go on court.

I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching this team this year and I am hoping to see the girls back on and around the courts in 2018. A special thank you to Alkira LAZARO¸ the assistant coach and Paul BESSANT, the team manager. They both stepped up and took full control of “MY Cherubs” in 2017, while I was overseas. Without this assistance and commitment, I would not have been able to coach in 2017.

9White Treasures

The 2017 Treasures were a delight to coach, and I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching this team this year. A special thank you to Alkira LAZARO¸ the assistant coach and Paul BESSANT, the team manager. They both stepped up and took full control of “MY Treasures” in 2017, while I was overseas. Without this assistance and commitment, I would not have been able to coach in 2017.

I had some of the girls in previous years, and a couple of new faces. All the girls listened and were happy to learn and participate in the training sessions, each week. Some weeks were repeated drills to ensure the skills were embedded and will come naturally in the future.

Charli WALL – excellent defensive skills and a good understanding of the game. Owned the role of GK throughout the season, and made the other team work hard for their points

Chelsea WHALAN – good solid defence player, great judge of distance, with minimal obstruction calls from the umpire, a great understanding of the importance of attacking and defending

Jasymn THEW – consistent shooter, with a fantastic understanding of the role and positioning of GA, in anticipation of the ball traveling to the shooters end

Jessica KEYS – a good eye for the ring, with distance from the post, not causing any concern, for accuracy, when shooting from the outer circle area

Lucy SMITH – a pocket rocket, strong solid passes, good footwork and an ability to read the play, an asset to “team defence”

Ruby BAINES – works well in the centre court area, made a formidable WD, and contributed to “team defence” on the weeks she was not in C

Tiare MURRAY – a quiet little mouse, who roared! Great centre court player, with a good understanding of the C position, including feeding the ball into the shooter

Zali Bate – played consistently each week in WA, breaking out for the ball, moving into position to assist in feeding the ball into the circle

Zarah WALL – a shooter with style, confident and capable, the player who takes on the role of encouraging the others during the game, with her enthusiastic attitude

It is with a happy, but heavy heart, that I say farewell to these girls as they make their way to the “big girls courts” to continue their netball playing career as Juniors. As a Net Set Go Coach, it is my responsibility to encourage the girls to have fun and enjoy the game and the sport, make friends, laugh and smile with each other and play to the best of their ability each week. I am also responsible for teaching and educating the players in the basics of netball, the rules, and the principles of play. I can say I have achieved this with these girls and I look forward to seeing them around the courts in 2018. It is teams like this that make coaching look easy. Thank you, girls!

10A Lightning

Sari Thompson, Sharni Parker, Kiara Bradley, Scarlett Ford, Audrey Baker, Audrey Lovrek, Lacie McKellar, Alice Trajanovski, Caitlin Teixiera

Coaches: Darlene Parker & Melisa Bradley

Manager: Marselle Thompson

It was such a pleasure coaching this enthusiastic bunch of young girls.

What a season the girls had, cruising through the first two rounds with no losses. The girls had a narrow loss in the third round, which made them more determined to bounce back. Through your determination we took out the Illawarra Carnival with great wins over strong competitors Cronulla and Shellharbour.

With a lot of sickness in the team towards the end of season (finals), you little champions didn’t let that beat you, turning up ready to play and out there to help your team even if you weren’t feeling 100%. Your efforts truly were deserving of your place in the Grand Final. Although beaten by a better team on the day, you girls should all be so proud of your efforts and how well you have played throughout the season.

A big thank you to all the parents for your support throughout the season. A special mention to Marselle for managing the team and making our coaching job so much easier. Couldn’t have done it without you.

I hope to see you all return again in 2018

Proud coaches

Mel & Darlene

10B Gems

The Gems are a lovely bunch of girls who have been a pleasure to coach. The 2017 season was a great opportunity for learning and improving our skills. The transition from the modified game saw the girls build on their basic netball skills and start to learn positional play and to shoot on full sized goal.

The girls were enthusiastic to learn and always put in 100% on the court. Their hard work paid off and it was great to see the improvements made when comparing the beginning of the season to the end. The improvements were reflecting in the scores for the 2nd half of the season and the girls came away with 2 wins in the later part of the season. Unfortunately, I was not present at either game. A big thank you though to Karen for stepping in and helping out you will now forever be referred to as supercoach! Due to work commitments Sarah, our assistant coach, was unavailable for the majority of the season and I really did miss all of the off court organisation she normally covers. I was lucky enough to have a 2nd assistant coach in Taylah and I would like to thank Taylah for her assistance with the girls throughout the season.

Lastly, I would like to thank the parents for getting the girls to training and games, for your assistance with scoring etc and for the encouragement you provide to the girls. A big thank you also to Lesley for organising and making our presentation outfits. What a great job! I hope to see you all in the 2018 season.

11C Superheros

The Dapto Superhero are a beautiful group of girls willing to learn and they played for their love of the game. This team was Charlotte, Grace, Shooters, Rudy, Elle, Ava, Ave the mid court and Jennifer and Ebony our defence end. As their Coach, it was an honour and great delight to work with all them, like I said all netball season “they were all beautiful netballers who just needed to believe in themselves”. As their coach, I just need to build on the skills they already had and it showed each game they played as they kept improving. These wonderful girls lived up to their Superhero name this season. Throughout the season the Superheroes played well but it was the weeks leading into the finals they really became cohesive, with fluent play through structured attack and tight team defence. This play lead them to win games throughout the season which took them to the Grand finals where they played Berkeley. The Grand Final was a tight affair with the score constantly changing and the girls giving there all every quarter leading to a draw at full time with Berkeley! This pushed the game into extra time so once again all the Superheroes lifted for the next ten minutes and were victorious by one goal. As their coach, I am so proud of all the Girls.

Our eight superheroes should be very proud of themselves; as we all know their parents must be. The parents were sensational throughout the season; we thank them for their support and positivity throughout the season. In particular Kerrie thanks Ebony, Elle & Charlotte’s mums for their help with the scoring, timing & collection of monies for the umpires. The season was truly a team effort which was rewarded the ultimate outcome; As Grand Final Winners! I hope all the girl return in 2018 to play again. So bring on 2018……..

11D Skittles

This year has been a pleasure for me and Skye to coach these girls. From the start of the season the girls had bonded and had no hesitation in welcoming a late comer into the team. With all efforts from everyone who made this team possible the girls had an outstanding season, finishing the competition in first place. Unfortunately, they went down in the semi-finals but came back strong in the preliminary finals, making it through to the grand final. Although the girls didn't get the outcome they were hoping for they sure did make me and Skye proud. Each individual player learnt new skills and become a better player. A special thank you to the parent’s commitments each week with getting the girls to training on time. Also thank you to the parents who were at the courts bright and early each week putting up post pads, collecting money and scoring each week and most importantly thank you to the parents and family members for standing on the side line each week cheering and supporting the girls as they played. It was a brilliant season and once again me and Skye couldn't have wished for a better team because we got the best. 12B Warriors This year the 12B’s, Dapto Warriors consisted of Elena Bate, Hayley Whitchurch, Aleah Coyle, Chelsea Hemar, Abbeygail Morgan, Olivia O’Donnell, Ivy Robson, Kiahni Starr and Eve Topic. Starting off the season most of the girls had played with each other before in the previous years, so they had no trouble with getting along with each other. Approaching our first game all the girls kept saying to me was “We are going to play our hardest and do really well this season and make it to the grand final”. This enthusiasm showed in their first game, when the girls went out and smashed it, beating the Corrimal team that had moved down from A grade 22-11. As the season went on the girls loved coming to training and never wanted to go home, even during the school holidays or even when we didn’t have a game the following weekend the girls trained and didn’t want it to end. With the girls starting of the season this year with excellent wins I was worried that they could start to think they didn’t have to go out and give 100% at each game but again the girls proved me wrong and gave it their all each Saturday. As the season went by I could see so much improvement in each girl, even though there were some training days and Saturdays where I told the girls they were going to give me “grey hair” from stressing me out, or “you listen worse than my 4-year-old students in class”, they always went out on the court on game day and played their hardest.

Then the Illawarra carnival came around and it fused the team together both on and off the court. The girls played so well at the carnival finishing 3rd at the end of the day only having 2 loses out of 8 games. I couldn’t have been happier with how they all played during the carnival. The highlight, for me this season, would be the girls making it all the way to the grand final and only losing by 3 goals to Shellharbour. Leading up to the semis we had a defence player out with a broken collar bone so I would like the thanks Sian from the 11As team for stepping up and joining our team for the semis, final and grand final. The girls should all be so proud of how you have played this year and for making it all the way through to the end of the season with only 3 loses to Shellharbour and finishing 2nd on the ladder. It has been a great season and I would like to say thanks to Tara my assistant coach, the parents of these wonderful girls who turned up every Saturday and Wendy for being my right-hand women and always getting me organised on a game days. I would also like to say a big thank you to the team for making 2017 a great year for me as a coach. It was nice to have your support even through the rain, wind and freezing cold weather. I hope to see you all return again in 2018 Happy and Proud Coach Breana Anastas. 12D Diamonds "Dapto diamonds started off the season well with a win against Southern Suburbs. The girls continued to try their best and came away with a few wins and losses. We had lots of girls keen to shoot some goals and so throughout the season we rotated through four shooters. Maddison, Taylah, Cara and Georgia all scored and tried their best to get our points up. The girls in defence - Leilah, Bethany, Maddison and Taylah - also did a fantastic job at keeping the ball away from the oppositions goals and took many intercepts every game they played.

The girls at centre court also did an amazing job moving the ball around and developed their skills at quickly getting the ball to the shooters. Jasmine, Ellie and Jorja should be commended for their work in WD, WA and C. One of the most memorable days for me as the girl's coach was at the Illawarra carnival. Nearing the end of the day we had one game left. Due to absences and injuries we were only left with five players on court. Although we did not win, the determination shown by the girls to try their best and not give up was incredible. It was definitely the best game of the day. All of the girls should be very proud of the effort they showed this season and the improvements that they've made." Intermediate A1 Dapto Legacy

The season started with a conversation about the teams that were going to make up the Intermediate A1 competition and the relative strength of the team that we had. The decision was made then that we would not be happy with anything but a premiership at the end of the season. Talent, determination and true grit got us there.

The name of the team, once some of us had looked it up, is a reflection of the influences on the netball of all of the members of the team. These players, all Dapto Junior players, were the Legacy of the hard work Jackie put into developing our young players and the loyalty and commitment that she encouraged in them. The season was dedicated to the memory of those who have influenced their netball and Jackie in particular. Her loss was felt throughout the season but so was her presence.

The season started with a number of challenges (injuries – wrist, knee, shoulder, tailbone) and thank you to those players who were able to fill in for us, so that we could field a team to begin with. Across the season the team grew from strength to strength, played some amazing netball and reached some fantastic achievements (74-19 score line in 48 minutes – an achievement in itself for a 60-minute game).

The season finished with a fantastic win in the Grand Final that gave some of the girls their first premiership and others their fourth. Regardless, it felt great to finish the season as we did, proving to those who didn’t believe we were good enough. Indeed, we were the best team on the day. No matter what the opposition threw at us, we could shut down any attack end, and finish them off at ours.

This will be the end of the Intermediate netball for most of the players in this team whether through age or need for further development they move now into Seniors and we wish them all the best in the next move in their netball. These players are part of the future of this club and players for our Junior club to look towards for inspiration for the skill and game play they are striving towards.

As always, thank you to the parents and families who turned up week in and week out and cheered the team on. Thank you to Nikita Hellmuth who umpired for us during the season and at the Illawarra Carnival. Finally, thank you girls for your commitment, your humour and sharing your enthusiasm and love of netball with us. It really has been a fantastic year.

Peiti, Ryan and Allan

Intermediate A3 Destroyers

What an amazing season 2017 turned out to be with this team. Starting at meet the coach and ending with a grand-final. After deciding on the team name the Destroyers the girls got on really well and did what they named themselves.

The team comprised of Krubi, Mollie, Ashleigh, Sophie rotating in defence with Holly Erin Myra and Kasey in the midcourt and attack. Our defence end was outstanding throughout the season and I would not trade them for anyone!

After six wins to start our season a couple of the girls came to training thinking, talking about being undefeated and I told them to not think about that just take each team week by week. We then went out and lost our next game by a goal to the team we would play in the grand final Corrimal. The girls avenged that loss by hammering the next team we played and continuing through the season undefeated.

Semi- final time and we finished the season as the top team and in the major semi-final. The girls turn up to play on what was the windiest day all year and we could not adjust to the conditions on the day and went down by 3 goals. The girls came to training more determined to avenge that loss and we defeated Woonona easily and went to the grand-final. Come grand-final day and some of the girls turn up with butterflies which is normal. Despite that the girls were switched on and played the opening quarter really well to be level with Corrimal. From there the girls went on with doing what we did best turning defence into goals and with the final whistle we were winners 32-26. Well done girls!

Lastly, I would like to thank the parents for your co-operation and support throughout the season without it the team would not be what it was.

Hope to see all the girls back for an even bigger season next year good luck and good netball.

Your Coaches Bill and Carla

Intermediate B3 Sapphires

What a great season of netball, I was privileged to coach an amazing team of young girls the Sapphires- Makenzi, Amelia, Bonnie, Awhi, Tanika, Sharnah, Emily, Lara and Madi. These girls were awesome even though we never had a full team at training throughout the whole season, each Saturday the girls would pull together as a team and won all except one game. This brought us to equal points but second on the leader board at the end of the season to Corrimal who’s fors were a little better than ours. We played Corrimal in the Major finals but we missed out by a few goals, this brought us to play against Wests in the preliminary finals where the girls won and made it to the grand final. Woo hoo we were all so excited, although we lost to Corrimal on the day, it didn’t matter because what a great achievement to make it that far. I would like to thank the girls for all their efforts this year and also to all the parents who continually dropped their daughters off to training each week and watched them play every Saturday. Also, a big thank you to the parents who timed, scored and helped out throughout the season your help was greatly appreciated. I hope you all had a great time playing your favourite sport and I hope to see you all back next year. Kath Intermediate C1 Strickers I am pleased to say that I had a lot of fun coaching the Strikers in 2017. Our team was made up of a lovely bunch girls, some who were playing netball for the 1st time on a Saturday. The girls experienced some significant losses in the first couple of rounds and as a result we got together as a team to discuss our goals for the season. The team decided that they wanted to improve on their netball skills but most importantly they wanted to have fun and enjoy the season. I am pleased to say that we achieved those goals.

The efforts the girls put in on a Tuesday training session varied from week to week however, there was always lots of noise and lots of laughter. During the July school holidays when I suggested that we take a break from training the girls were horrified as they were keen to keep training. The spirit of the team was best demonstrated on a cold Tuesday night in July second week of the school holidays, when we trained by the light provided from the parent’s headlights. Despite the results on the court each Saturday we were the only Dapto team at the courts training that week. As well as having fun though, these girls did improve their skills throughout the year which saw them come away with 2 wins and a draw. The last game of the season the girls decided they wanted to play for a win and they played brilliantly! The 1st quarter of that game was amazing and I think myself and the parents were wandering where this team had been all year. It was a testament to the skills the girls developed over the season. I would like to thank the parents for your support and encouragement to the girls during the season. Sarah unfortunately due to work commitments you were unavailable for most of the season but I appreciate the assistance you were able to provide and for trying to keep me organised. A big thank you also to Guido for collecting the umpire’s money each week. Strikers thank you for having me as your coach and reminding me that netball is about having fun and making new friends. I hope to see you all back in 2018. Cadet A United

This year I had the pleasure of coaching a great team called United. I did coach some of these girls over their intermediate career and when they wanted to take the team name with them into cadets I was delighted to think that they still considered those inter years with self-pride.

I knew the club had something special in this team after the first game, but just by how much didn’t show till after we had played every team in the competition. No one came close to us on the score board. A coaching record for me was reached with a massive 863 goals scored this season.

For a team that was annihilating the competition, it didn’t show in their attitude at all. They trained hard and played to their best of their ability every game. I only let them play out of position once throughout the whole competition as I was determined not to let their skills slip. Dedication to the Club, team and each other was inspiring.100 % attendance at training and at the games showed the bond these girls created.

United consisted of 3 junior coaches and 3 umpires and to me that shows club commitment, this is what I am most proud of. To see them turn up when they weren’t playing to support our fellow teams in semis warrants a mention as well as the girls are already talking about how they are going to give back to the club next year with more coaching.

The girls are disappointed that they will be splitting up next year and it took a lot of reassuring by myself to convince them that their netball will benefit greatly from having a different coach.

Rebecca, Skye, Brooke and Macey it has been a pleasure to watch you grow over the years to very talented netballers. I share a special bond with each of you that I will make sure doesn’t change as you venture into senior netball. (Don’t cry when you read this)

Jade and Jess, I know you have no choice but to move onto seniors, and I did watch some of your games last year, and watch you push yourselves even further this year. I want to thank you for your commitment you showed me. Please make sure the hugs keep coming as I look forward to them every Wednesday and Saturday.

Tahlia, Morgan and Kiara though I have not had much to do with you except for this year, I’m so happy you have shown so much progress in your netball. I believe the friendship we created with each other will now carry throughout your netball career. I am always here for you anytime and cherish our bond we created over a short period of time.

Each and every one of you have made me so proud to be your coach and now your friend. Please stay true friends and be there to support each other as playing the game you love is always easier when you have support. Will miss each and every one of you.

Vicki, thank you for your back up this year and your commitment to this team. You told me numerous times throughout the season how good this team is and how great the girls are and I appreciated everything you did for them and myself this year.

I would also like to thank the parents for allowing me to coach your daughters. To Sally and Sandra who ran around for me on game day when I needed and all parents for trusting me with your child, week after week.

Proud coach of a super team

Nicky Anastas

Senior A3 Bullets

Netball season 2017 saw me take on coaching the senior A3 team named the Bullets. This team started with a bang with high winning scores but by approximately round 6 turbulence set in with injuries, speculations, team arguments and holidays, which made me question my coaching ability and to be honest it took all my inner self to stay focused. We started out as a team of 9 and then became a team of 10, but to be honest we rarely had 10 at a game.

The team started to bond just as we were coming into round 8 but I noticed that the wins were not as big as the first time we played the same team so something had to done. Unbeknown to the girls I started putting in drills to create team bonding, doing exercises that depended on another team mate etc and things started to turn around.

We then ventured to Minto for a carnival and we stayed overnight in a motel with big plans for the night but I think we were all in bed by 10pm. Things were now looking good and the concentration went back to playing good netball.

By round 14 we had to beat our fellow club members “The Growlers” to take out the minor premiership, the only team we had lost against so far, as we were both tied in first spot. We started extra training on a Friday night and it paid off as we had the title won. Along with the extra training we had regular visits to Easts club after training and I could tell it was all forming together exactly how it should be.

Semis arrived and we lost to the only team we had lost to all season “The Growlers”. We then went on to play them again in the grand final but this time victory was ours.

Nat, Bre, Morgs, Karlee, Aleisha, Bec, Meritxel, Kel, Ash and Claire I would like to say thank you for putting up with me this season and making me a very proud coach. Not only were you apart of a premiership winning team but helped me set my own personnel record with both my teams taking out premierships in the 2017 season. You all proved to me that when it counts each and every one of you stepped up and played some of the best netball each of you have played which was in the grand final.

A big thanks goes to Vicki for her patience and commitment to the team and for being there when I couldn’t be.

Girls-Thank you for understanding when I kept having to run from one team to another in semis and grand final. Thank you for filling in for other teams, which a few of you did. Thank you for understanding my club commitments which often took me away from you at training and at games but most of all thank you for being the very talented netballers that each and every one of you are. You thoroughly deserve the crown of being the Senior A3 Premiers of 2017.

I need to mention that this team has great club commitment. The Bullets consisted of 4 committee members, 5 coaches and 3 umpires. Our A2 team needed stand by players most weeks due to injuries and most took turns in stepping up for this. I know Debbie really appreciated this as did the whole A2 team. Most volunteered to umpire when needed as well as attending junior training to help teams out and doing little jobs to help me out. I really appreciated your club spirit as did your club and hope this continues in the 2018 season.

Though I might not get to coach some of you again I hope the bond that was formed will remain and I’m looking forward to seeing your netball develop over the coming years.

Proud coach of a super team

Nicky Anastas

Senior B3 Dandies The Dapto Dandies of Heather Cunningham, Angela O’Rourke, Sue Hollick, Angela Baker, Molly O’Rourke, Wendy Marsh, Leigh Warrington, Karolyn Spinks, all, had another great season with the team taking their friendships, some of the girls have been with the club over 13 years, further. The girls showed what it was to be a team, standing strong and united during the year, and congratulation each other through some personal highs, university entry, milestone birthdays and new jobs. They were also there for each other when times were tough

With Angela Baker & Leigh getting exceptional shots. Wendy & Angela O’Rourke blocking goals with their own tag team style and technique. Sue controlling the play moving all over the court throughout the game. Solid support with Heather, Molly & Karolyn covering the wings & moving into positions when needed. The Dandies opponents were all strong competitors with big

claims to the titles. The Dandies came off the court satisfied they had left the opposition wondering if they (the opposition) could make the grade. The Dandies have overall had an extremely festive and social season in 2017.