SANDHURST is banking on two being better than one after appointing its A-grade netball coaches for next season.
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The Dragons have announced that 2016 season best and fairest Heather Oliver and North Central region open team coach Tamara Gilchrist will share the duties for the Dragons.
Gilchrist makes the switch from Heathcote District league club North Bendigo, where she spent the past five seasons as coach.
She guided the Bulldogs to their last flag in 2014, a grand final appearance in 2015 and a third place finish this season.
Oliver, the Dragons' 2015 Betty Thompson medallist, and Gilchrist take over the reins from Jannaya Webb, who guided the club to a third place finish in 2016.
Webb will remain with the club as the Dragons' joint 17-and-under coach alongside Laura Parkhill.
In other appointments, Gilchrist will fly solo as coach of the A-reserve team, Hayley Bolton will take charge of the B-grade, while Rebecca Rodda will coach the Dragons' B-reserve.
Gilchrist said she was looking forward to the next phase of her coaching career and working alongside one of the BFNL's best players.
"I feel pretty chuffed about when I was asked, especially to coach with Ollie," she said.
"That's a bit of icing on the cake for me - we can both learn a lot from each other.
"I had heaps to do with her, I've actually tried to recruit her a couple of years in a row. I tried hard."
The new coaches intend to meet individually with players over the next few weeks ahead of the start of tryouts on November 9.
Gilchrist said could look back on her five years with North Bendigo with definite satisfaction.
"I guess they hadn’t had much success in the time before I got there, but I feel I helped build the club to the profile it has got now," she said.
"I got a premiership in every grade before I left, which is a good thing.
"I feel satisfied, but I don't feel done with it - I haven't left on any bad terms, it just a little bit more about personal development and to see what's next.
"One day I might end back up North because I have given the club 10 years (in two stints) of my life and been loyal."
Gilchrist and Oliver take charge of a talent-laden line-up which occupied a top two spot on the ladder for most of the season.
The Dragons supplied three of the nine players who represented the BFNL at this year's association championships in Oliver, defender Carly Van Den Heuvel and midcourter Brooke Bolton and possess one of the competition’s brightest young stars Meg Williams.
Meanwhile, the Dragons have announced dates for their 2017 season tryouts. They are:
Wednesday, November 9 - QEO courts: 17-under: registration 4.15-4.30pm, tryouts 4.30-6pm; open: registration 5.45-6pm, tryouts 6-7.30pm.
Sunday, November 13 - QEO courts: 17-under only: registration 4.15-4.30pm, tryouts 4.30-6pm.
Wednesday, November 16 - Flora Hill court seven: 17-under: registration 4.15-4.30pm, tryouts 4.30-6pm; open: registration 5.45-6pm, tryouts 6pm-7.30pm.
Interested in publicising your club’s new netball coaching appointments. We’d love to hear from you. Contact KIeran Iles at kieran.iles@fairfaxmedia.com.au