A new-look Diggers Rest looms as a potential dark horse in the Riddell District Netball League this season.
The Burras will be putting out an A-grade outfit with five new faces in its starting seven. The players come from a range of clubs, including Lancefield and Romsey.
While she wasn’t able to confirm signings just yet, Diggers Rest coach Amy Carroll said it had been a great off-season for the club after finishing seventh last year.
“We had our try-outs in December and we’ve had a fantastic number of girls come across,” she said. “A lot of them just heard about the trials and turned up, which was great.
“The A-grade side will be completely different. I think there are only two players returning from last year,” Carroll said. “That’s a benefit because it has flowed on to B-grade and C-grade and made those teams quite strong.”
Throughout an off-season full of positives, it’s the type of recruit Diggers Rest has been able to attract that has Carroll excited.
The Burras have welcomed a host of young players into the fold and the club is hoping they will stick together for years to come.
“It’s difficult for Diggers Rest … because it’s such a small community, it can be hard to attract players who are in that age group you need,” Carroll said. “A few of the girls have actually played together throughout their careers already so they sort of have a bit of teamwork there, which is great.”
Carroll said finals were well and truly the goal. Diggers Rest will play practice matches against Gisborne and Melton South in the lead-up to a blockbuster round-one clash.
“We have to make finals. Only time will tell, but I feel like we should be pushing for that.”
