North Bendigo coaching team aiming to capitalise on momentum from strong finish to 2023 HDFNL netball season

After leading the Bulldogs in the latter part of the 2023 season, Kiralee Kinder and Stacee Kingdon will take over the A-grade coaching reins full-time in 2024.

And in a cause for much optimism around Atkins Street, the Bulldogs have signed long-time South Bendigo coach Liz Taylor as their new director of coaching.

In other key appointments, past premiership player and club stalwart Kristie Alford will take on the netball operations role, while club legend Bobbie Simpson will take charge of the B-squad.

Rapt to be continuing in their role as joint A-grade coaches after leading the Bulldogs for the bulk of the second half of the season, Kinder said herself and Kingdon were keen to build on the impressive gains made by the club late in the season.

The Bulldogs only narrowly missed the finals following a 7-9 season, their fate only sealed by a final round loss to minor premiers Elmore.

A strong second half of the season included wins over eventual fourth-placed team Mount Pleasant, fifth-placed Heathcote, Lockington-Bamawm United and Leitchville-Gunbower, a narrow but crucial loss to Huntly, and competitive performances against grand finalists White Hills and Colbinabbin.

"The plan is to build on that," Kinder said.

"We were really impressed with how the girls finished the season and there was a bit of a feel around the netball side of things that something was building, which is exciting.

"There was definitely a lot of progress made in the second half of the season and Stacee and I now keen to see where that momentum leads."

Kinder said the club was currently in negotiations with several potential recruits and already had one key newcomer signed.

Sadly for the Bulldogs, they will lose defender Genevieve McColl, who was runner-up in this season's best and fairest behind Jess Hinrichsen, but will spend next year overseas.

They expect to keep the bulk of this year's A-grade team.

Kinder and Kingdon are thrilled to be reunited with Taylor, who has signed as the Bulldogs' director of coaching.

The trio previously spent years together at South Bendigo as members of the Bloods' coaching panel.

"I co-coached the A-res with Liz for a few years at South, so luckily I have a personal relationship with Liz and we were able to get her over," Kinder said.

"It's such a great pick up for North.

"She brings a lot of experience, so we're very lucky to have her.

"Stacee has worked with Liz too at South, so it's nice to have the gang back together."

North Bendigo president Adam Kinder further hailed the appointment of Taylor as director of coaching as a key to the Bulldogs' future aspirations, including the development of a stronger pathway for the club's junior netballers.

"Liz knows so much about netball and has been associated with it for so long, so we're hoping this can help set up our juniors in particular," he said.

"Our juniors are ticking along, but we've always struggled a bit. We are hoping to ramp that up and provide that really good pathway through to the senior squads.

"Hopefully this is the start of it."

North Bendigo will next season be attempting to return to A-grade finals for the first time since 2016.

They have finished sixth three times in the period since, in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

"It's been a while since we've been up there, so it would be nice to be back up there with that winning feeling," Kinder said.

"This year we were right on the cusp of finals. Hopefully, we can go a bit further next year.

"There's a bit of buzz around the place already; it's an exciting feeling."

The Bulldogs will hold their tryouts earlier than normal this season, starting on Tuesday, November 7.

Further tryouts will be held on Sunday, November 12, and Tuesday, November 14 (seniors only).

Junior tryouts (17-and-under and 15-and-under) will be at 5pm-6pm, with seniors from 6pm-8pm.

All tryouts will be held at Atkins Street.

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