Emerald Football Netball Club manager Graham Steer, left, announces the coaches for 2010, Steven Sullivan, Michael Scoon, Tony Walker and Cathy Campbell. 42963
By Tania Martin
EMERALD’S Bombers are hoping to go one better this year and bring home the dual netball-football championship flags.
They say they have the biggest team roster in the history of the club for 2010.
Emerald Netball Football Club manager Graham Steer said that this year the Bombers would field full teams in the veterans, seniors, reserves and under-18s.
Netball had also grown to include A, B and C-Grade squads.
“We are probably the only club in the league to have that many teams,” Steer said. “It’s a big difference compared with four years ago when we were lucky to make it on the ground with two full teams.”
Steer attributes the club’s growth to local boys sticking with their home side.
But he said the Bombers still needed more players for the under-18s and veterans squads.
Steer said the club finished in a strong position last year with all teams making the finals. It hoped to go one better this year.
The seniors and reserves both finished fifth last year, with the under-18s and A-Grade netballers both runners-up and the veterans making it to the semi-finals.
The club’s pre-season training has been focusing on building up the strength of its up and comers.
Steer said a lot of the players coming up were in their early 20s and needed to start bulking up.
“They have spent the past three months in the gym bulking up and they are now starting to look like senior players – that’s our problem we just are a very young side,” he said.
Michael Scoon, a former North Melbourne AFL player, has returned for his second season as the senior coach and is hoping for a premiership flag this season.
Veteran Jamie Campbell will coach the reserves for his first season in the top job.
Campbell is no stranger to the game: he is a life member at South Belgrave Football Club with more than 300 games under his belt.
He has spent the past two years playing at Emerald with the veterans and reserves squads but is now looking forward to his new role with the club.
Steven Sullivan will return for his second year as the under-18s coach and hopes to go one better this year after finishing second in 2009.
Emerald premiership player Tony Walker will try his hand at coaching the A-Grade netballers this season.
He played in the club’s last premiership side but this is his first year at coaching netball.
Steer said the girls wanted a male coach and Walker was no stranger to the game as his wife and daughters have played the game for years.
His wife Cathy will coach the C Grade and Bernadette Whiteroads will take on the job as B-Grade coach.
Steer said it wasn’t just about the football and netball but the club would this year concentrate on creating a sporting precinct at Chandler Reserve.
“We are trying to build upstairs and want to build a basketball stadium behind the clubrooms,” he said.
He said a number of stakeholders were putting together a funding application for the sports precinct.
The club is now preparing to go into battle with the town’s cricket club in a twenty20 cricket match on Saturday 27 February at Chandler Reserve from 6.45pm.
Anyone interested in joining the club for the 2010 season should contact Graham Steer on 0408 333 638.
