Championship Strikers thriving on the challenge, says coach

BENDIGO Strikers championship coach Tracey Brereton has praised her side’s growing consistency, which has led to a 4-1 start to the Victorian Netball League (VNL) season.

The Strikers marked their first ever home game at Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct with a convincing 18-goal win over Southern Saints last Sunday.

It was enough to elevate them into second spot on the ladder, heading into their top-two clash on Wednesday night this week at the State Netball Centre.

Other than a brief period early in the game when the scores were tied at 3-3, the Strikers led throughout the contest, impressively turning a nine-goal half-time margin into a 60-42 victory.

The championship team’s success headlined a proud day for the club on a new home court, with all three teams, including the 23-and-unders and VNL reserves, notching up wins.

Thrilled to have banked another victory, Brereton insisted the Strikers had plenty of improvement to come.

“While it wasn’t our best netball, we still had some really great patches and we are getting more and more consistent each week,” she said.

“(A great second half) was a really great sign.

“We talked about how with all the VNL teams, you have to weather the storms.

“You might be four or five up, but it’s just never enough. You need to weather it and keep banking the goals when you can and hopefully when the momentum swings back your way, you’ve got enough there to push ahead again.

“We played that really well.

“A few positional changes were made and that helped change the tempo of the game and set us up.”

Stepping up to championship grade this season after two years in the 23-and-under program, Mia McCrann-Peters was on-song for the Strikers, leading all players on court with 36 goals at 90 per cent accuracy.

 

Hayley Howard was prominent with nine first-quarter goals at 100 per cent, before making way for Ruby Barkmeyer (15 at 100 per cent) in her second Strikers game.

Already without star defender Charlotte Sexton, now plying her trade with the Melbourne Mavericks in the SSN, the Strikers were dealt a blow by the withdrawal of Teal Hocking and Dayna Williams with injuries.

Their absence paved the way for defender Eliza Mooney and vice-captain Asha Gray from the 23-and-under team to make their championship debuts.

Brereton said it was a special moment for both players.

“It’s been tough, we have some players in higher programs and injuries and things but if you have a good training set-up across your 23s and champs, where we are together all the time, it’s pretty seamless for some 23s to step up,” she said.

“And we had Eliza Mooney and Asha Grey step up and debut.

“Even though it’s devastating to have Teal and Dayna out with injuries, to be able to blood some 23s, it really shows we have a pathway here at Strikers.

“They were both rapt. Eliza was a bit shocked when she was going on from the start of the fourth quarter, but this is what it’s about and how it starts.”

Brereton backed both players to make the full-time progression to the championship division in the years ahead.

Crucially, Brereton said the Strikers were ‘thriving on the challenges’ being thrown their way early in the season.

“I did put it out to them (on Sunday) that if we can win, we could potentially go to second on the ladder,” she said.

“As a coach you are sometimes scared about saying that – is it too much pressure on them?

“But you know what, I think they love it and it really made them see what’s at stake and how much it meant.

“If we do go to second, it’s a position we’ve never been in.”

Both the Strikers and Hawks were coming off similar short back-ups on Wednesday night, with the reigning champions having notched up a hard-fought 59-46 win over Geelong Cougars on Sunday night.

The Hawks are the only team the Strikers have failed to beat at championship level in their three years in the competition.

Heading into the season, the Strikers had yet to defeat three teams but have since ticked off wins against Boroondara Express and City West Falcons respectively in rounds 1 and 4.