Tara Murray
Diggers Rest is building into the Riddell District Netball League season.
With a new coach and a new playing group, it’s taken some time for things to start to come together.
Heading into the interleague bye on the weekend, the Burras were sitting 1-3.
Coach Anica Wilson said it had been a good start to the season.
“We’re really starting to build and the culture off court has been really good,” she said.
“It always takes some time and every week we are getting closer and really building.
“There’s still a few games to go for the first half of the season and we hope to keep building.”
Wilson said they had a real mixture of new and more experienced girls at the club and there was a really good balance.
Leona Hristovska, who is playing with the Western Warriors in the Victorian Netball League is one key player who has returned.
Wilson said getting back defender Maggie Payne, who missed the first couple of weeks, was also helpful to provide some extra leadership on court.
Wilson said there had been some encouraging signs from the players who have joined the club.
“Lauren Creed has come across from Melton and has been working really hard on her accuracy,” she said.
“Olivia Marris is strong through the centre and is able to run out the match. Lexie [Lieschke] and Ash [Harrison] in defence and midcourt defence are really starting to step up and improve.”
The Burras continue to have strength throughout their other grades.
Their B-grade side is really settled with many of the group having played together for a number of years.
There’s a mixture of new and returning players in the other three grades.
Wilson, who returned to the club this season, said she was really enjoying being back involved.
“The club has been really good this year with particular focusing on the culture,” she said. “With the rooms being done we have some good facilities to use and it’s really good to get a few more people down watching games.
As well as having the week off for interleague the Burras have a bye this week. They then face Riddell and Kyneton, before the King’s Birthday competition wide bye.
Wilson said they were keen to get some more wins on the board as they go into the second half of the season.
“We want to turn some of those results around,” she said “It’s nice to have a couple of weeks off to reset.”
