BENDIGO'S rich depth of netball talent is again being highlighted with the naming of the BFNL open netball squad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 10-player squad, to be coached by Kangaroo Flat A-grade coach Jayden Cowling, will represent the league at inter-league level against Outer East at the Queen Elizabeth Oval on May 18, before shooting for success at the Netball Victoria Association Championships finals at Frankston on June 23.
It is comprised solely of players from last season's top four clubs, which again occupy spots one through four on the ladder early in the 2019 season.
Back-to-back premiers Sandhurst is the best represented club with four players.
They are joint coach and dual Betty Thompson Medal winner Heather Oliver, star youngsters Meg Williams and Imogen Sexton, and returned midcourter Brianna Dalrymple-Monro.
Oliver, who won league best and fairests in 2015 and '17, has been in outstanding form early this season after missing out on last season's Dragons' premiership, as has Dalrymple-Monro in her return to the BFNL.
Eaglehawk is represented by joint coach Allira Holmes and sisters Ashley and Abbey Ryan.
They are joined by Gisborne stars Maddy Stewart and Clare Vearing, with class midcourter Chelsea Sartori the lone Kangaroo Flat player.
Five of the 10 players picked finished in the top-10 in last year's league best and fairest count, won by the Bulldogs' Stewart, one vote ahead of the Hawks' Ashley Ryan.
BFNL open netball coach Jayden Cowling said it was extremely exciting to be able to select such a strong team with a high calibre of players from within the league.
"We currently have such a strong netball league, including numerous players playing at VNL level, and to have access to these players to represent the Bendigo team is a huge step towards inter-league success.
I cannot wait for these girls to be given the opportunity to play alongside each other in our bid to have a successful inter-league and Association Championships campaign".
Cowling, an Australian and Victorian men's team representative, will be assisted by Sandhurst's 2018 17-and-under premiership coach Rose Gallagher, with Michelle Ryan, from Eaglehawk, the team manager.
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.