State team honour for Lakers coach McLean

LAKE Wendouree head netball coach Courtney McLean has been selected as part of the coaching panel for the state 17-and-under team.

McLean, who has guided the Lakers to fourth spot on the BFNL ladder after 12 rounds with an 8-3-1 record, will assume the role as apprentice coach behind head Victorian coach Belinda Lees and assistant coach Monique Lenehan-Moustafa.

It’s her first involvement with the state team as a coach.

McLean expressed her elation at the opportunity to coach at state level.

“I’m actually really pumped. It’s going to be a great challenge,” she said.

“It was a pretty tough interview process, but I am glad to get the opportunity.

“Hopefully I can grow as a coach and widen my network from there.”

McLean, the assistant coach to Kim Bailey at Western Warriors, credited her experience this season at VNL level as a key factor in her state team appointment.

“I am really fortunate to have had Kim Bailey give me that opportunity because it is pretty hard to break into those roles,” she said.

“I owe her a lot.”

This year’s 17-and-under state team contained one Warriors player, dual-code star Kiara Boyd.

McLean will get straight down to work with the state team, with trials set down for 27 July.

She said the opportunity to work alongside head coach Lees, an individual she met for the first time during the interview stage, but whose reputation precedes her, was one she was eagerly looking forward to.

“There are quite a few Lakers girls at Echuca, who have either been coached by her, or played with her,” she said.

“So, there’s a couple of little connections there, which she may not have even been aware of.

“But it will be nice to get to know the coaches.”

There will be no early overlap with the Warriors, with the championship team’s season coming to an end earlier this week with their round 18 clash against Hawks.

In the meantime, McLean will be aiming to keep the Lakers’ promising season on track.

Following this weekend’s clash against Ballarat, they will continue their path to finals with four straight games against fellow flag contenders Darley, North Ballarat, Sunbury and Redan, before a round 18 clash against East Point.

Western Warriors head coach and rival BFNL coach Bailey said everyone at McLean’s VNL club was thrilled and proud of her achievement.

“She is a great talent in the Ballarat area and she has had stints in the BFNL, coaching in the interleague program and juniors,” said Bailey, whose top-of-the-ladder Sunbury team is aiming for back-to-back premierships this season.

“We all know just how passionate Courtney is about netball and everything she does and how much she loves Lakers.

“She comes from great pedigree through her mum Sally and with (father) Ray associated with Leading Teams.

“She is a rising talent.

“We are very proud of her at Warriors that she has taken that leap forward. It will be a great perspective for here and we are all looking forward to what she does in a different high-performance environment.

“In terms of BFNL, we know that we come against Lakers and Courtney as a coach, we have to be on our toes as she is so hard to coach against because she does things so differently.”