Netballers attempt gold medal defence
FOR decades, the words netball, Australia and gold have gone hand in hand, and at the 19th Maccabiah Games, the Australian women’s open and junior netball teams will attempt to retain the gold medals won four years ago.
FOR decades, the words netball, Australia and gold have gone hand in hand, and at the 19th Maccabiah Games, the Australian women’s open and junior netball teams will attempt to retain the gold medals won four years ago.
The open team will be mentored by Victorian Netball League coach and Australian Diamonds performance analyst Lyndell Bruce, who has worked tirelessly with the group to ensure it is prepared to do battle in Israel for ultimate glory.
“We’re heading to Israel with the aim of retaining the gold medal,” Bruce said.
“[But] we’re expecting strong competition from all the participating countries.”
Bruce has put an emphasis on teamwork, ensuring the Melbourne-based players compete weekly in a Monday A-grade competition, while the Sydney-based athletes compete together every weekend.
The open team enters the competition as a balanced outfit, sharing a mix of experience and youth, with Lainie Bejer the sole member of the 2009 gold medal-winning open team and junior gold medallists Manthy Gentin, Ashleigh Werner and Shayna Slotar also on the team.
“Having a number of players who have been to Maccabiah before will assist us on and off the court,” Bruce said.
“They will bring with them the experience of the previous Games and playing in finals matches.”
It’s also a family affair in both teams, with sisters Vanessa (open) and Hayley (junior) Mrocki and Manthy (open) and Abbie (junior) Gentin attempting to bring home double gold.
Junior coach Kerry Lambley will use her 36 years of experience to drive the young crop of stars to emulate the gold medal success of their 2009 counterparts.
The team includes exceptional talent across the court, boasting current regional and district representatives in Perth (Gina Steinberg and Eliza Sharbanee), Melbourne (Hayley Mrocki) and Sydney (Taryn Levin).
AJN Staff
Photo: Peter Haskin
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