HDFNL 2024 season netball preview: LEITCHVILLE-GUNBOWER

The Bombers have welcomed former Strathfieldsaye Storm midcourter Caitlyn Hamilton as their playing coach.

The 27-year-old has brought with her several of her Storm teammates from last season, including younger sister Ava Hamilton, versatile goaler and defender Claudia Collins and Macey Brereton, who is returning to her home club after one season in the BFNL.

Testament to their quality, Collins (17 votes) finished seventh in last year's BFNL league medal count and Caitlyn Hamilton (13) equal 14th, while also winning the club's best and fairest.

Ava Hamilton was the Storm's 2022 best and fairest winner.

Added to some bright young existing talent, the Bombers should prove a formidable opponent for all of their eight rivals.

How do you assess your 2024 recruiting haul?

"I've been lucky enough that a few girls have followed me from Strathfieldsaye, which has been pretty awesome. We already have those good connections and now we'll just build on it at a new club. It's made the transition really easy. We are pretty lucky to have Ava Hamilton and Claudia Collins come in. They will strengthen the side a lot. They are both A-grade club medallists in the Bendigo league. They'll give us lots of experience. Claudia in particular will provide plenty on the leadership front. And I know Ava is excited. I think it will be a good experience for her. We've also got Remi Phillips, a young girl from Melbourne, who will be travelling up, and we're also fortunate to have Macey Brereton returning to the club. She had one year in the BFNL, but she is back at her home club. We also have Bethany Hromenko, who's coming from Strathfieldsaye. She played in a lower grade at Storm. She came out honestly just to play with her friends, but she has really grown and impressed. She will be pushing for her spot in the side as well."

On the other side of the coin, how have you gone in terms of player retention?

"We've retained a good bunch of the A-grade girls from last year besides a few due to uni and other commitments. Being out here, you do struggle a bit with girls heading off to Bendigo or Melbourne for uni. We have lost a few , but retained quite a few which has strengthened our A-squad up. Maddie Elliott, who won the club best and fairest last year, is returning, which we are very excited about. She is very versatile and has a really good skillset. She will only continue to get better. I feel we have a fairly A-squad, which will be good to utilise throughout the year."

Have you done much coaching previously?

"This is my first year coaching, so I'm really excited to not only be playing, but coaching. It will be a good challenge. We'll see how we go."

Is there anyone in particular who has coached you before that has been an early influence on your own style?

"I've always had an interest in coaching and have always tried to play a part in being a leader in a bit of a more informal way. Back when I first went to Strathfieldsaye I had Mali Roberts and she was a great coach. She coached to us to the grand final, so she's probably the best I've had. But I try to take bits and pieces from everyone along the way."

There's a bit of a buzz around Leitchville-Gunbower with the quality of your recruits. Are you feeling any initial pressure?

"To be honest, I haven't heard too much talk about us. We are kind of just focusing on ourselves, so I don't want any pressure on anyone. A lot of it is unknown really, with a lot of new players. One of the things I find exciting is that there is a bunch of us from Strathfieldsaye, who've had a few tough years, plus the Leitchville-Gunbower girls have had a few really tough years too. It's going to be really exciting trying to fix that. Obviously the ultimate goal is to make finals and to go as far as we can, but there is a long way to go in instilling a bit of belief into the players after a couple of tough years. We are still quite a young group, so development, confidence and consistency are all going to be important. But I don't think anyone's feeling pressure. Quite the opposite - we feel there is no expectation or pressure. We are playing because we enjoy it."

Are number strong across the senior grades?

"We've had a quite a few players return from a couple seasons away, which has really strengthened the club right across the board. We've had great numbers at training. We also have an extra B-reserve side that plays in Echuca on week nights, so depth is really good."

SEASON FIXTURE

ROUND 1 - April 6

v LBU (a)

ROUND 2 - April 13

v Colbinabbin (h)

ROUND 3 - April 20

v North Bendigo (a)

ROUND 4 - April 27

v Elmore (h)

ROUND 5 - May 4

Bye

ROUND 6 - May 11

v Heathcote (a)

ROUND 7 - May 18

v White Hills (h)

ROUND 8 - May 25

v Huntly (a)

ROUND 9 - June 1

v Mount Pleasant (h)

ROUND 10 - June 15

v North Bendigo (h)

ROUND 11 - June 22

v Colbinabbin (a)

ROUND 12 - June 29

v LBU (h)

ROUND 13 - July 6

v Elmore (a)

ROUND 14 - July 13

Bye

ROUND 15 - July 20

v Heathcote (h)

ROUND 16 - July 27

v White Hills (a)

ROUND 17 - August 3

v Huntly (h)

ROUND 18 - August 10

v Mount Pleasant (a)