Something to read in the off-season

Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 153

HOW VICTORIA CAME TO DOMINATE THE NETBALL WORLD

Australia's captain, national coach, 21/u coach and three ANZ championship coaches all came through Victoria's humble state league in 1990s.

In 1996, the world of elite netball was a very different place. National League players weren't paid, the season only lasted eight weeks and crowds rarely exceeded 1200. The Australian team played just four test matches the entire year and at the end of the season, Australia's best played against each other in the usually lop-sided and terribly old-fashioned National Championships. The majority of playing time was spent in quant little 'clubs' in their respective state leagues.

Victoria was coming out of some disappointing national results in the early 90s. Including finishing 4th at the National Championships in 1993 and 94 . As a result, they had just one team in the National League, while NSW and SA both had two. This meant some of Australia's best players were confined to state league competition virtually all year.

In Victoria, this state league competition was played in a dishevelled 1960s stadium in Parkville. There were 4 indoor courts, with the main stadium court able to seat just 300 spectators.

Yet, the league produced some of the world’s best netball and netballers. None to be very competitive and even nasty, drama and intrigue was never too far away.

One memorable night - the Gippsland side, made up of players from country Victoria hosted the reigning national league champions, the Melbourne Pumas. Pumas had been the first Victorian team to win the league since the 1980s, beating Sydney Energy by some 20 goals in the final. The side boasted an all-Australian backline of Liz Tarvener, Janine Lynch and Simone Mckinnis - with their towering import Joanne Morgan heading-up their attack end. Gippsland on the other hand, had just one state representative in their squad. Their secret weapon, was on their bench - coach Lisa Alexander - who jumped with elation as Gippsland scored the winning goal to beat the reigning champions by one.

The 1996 state league competition was tough. The current Australian coach Norma Plummer coached the Melbourne Pumas, while her deputy and QLD Firebirds coach Rosalee Jencke usually sat on the bench as her back-up GK. Pumas also boasted future TV commentator Eloise Southby, the future Australian 21/under coach Mckinnis, future Fiji coach Megan Fleiner, Australian 21/under captain Sue Meaney and Ingrid Dick, who is now operations manager for the West Coast Fever all played for the Pumas that year.

The team who finished runner-up to the Pumas, Knox Keas had Shelley O’Donnell a soon-to-be Australian vice-captain and future Australian captain Sharelle McMahon. Nicole Cusack, now Australian assistant coach played alongside Mcmahon in their shooting circle. Future Australian player Nicole Richardson and Commonwealth Bank Trophy stalwarts Melanie Vivian, Peta Kennedy and Narelle Garbutt were also in the squad. A season earlier, Sue Gaudion - a former West Coast Fever coach also warmed their bench.

Others like now West Coast Fever coach Jane Searle was head coach of the VIS team and Alexander is now assistant coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds. The defensive end for fourth-placed Eastside - Sharon Finnan, has gone onto coach Trinidad and Tobago, and Stacey West now coaches the Northern Territory. Abbe Teare - who later became a goaler for England and Kestrels coach Marg Lind also played in the league. While Australian goaler Catherine Cox played as an import for fringe-side the Palladians.

A few seasons earlier people like Julie Hoornweg, Cathy Gillespie, Marg Caldow and Sue Hawkins also learnt their trade in the dog-eat-dog compeition.

While the then head of the league Kate Palmer is now CEO of Netball Australia.

Indeed, all the Australian teams in ANZ championships have players or coaches links back to the humble Victorian state league of the 1990s

This was all in a time when netball was really struggling and it’s future uncertain. Where players often travelled 3 hours to play in the state league competition and when the prospect of being paid respectable money or playing in front of 12,000 people on live commercial television was seen as possibly little more than a pipe dream.

Well done ladies. You’ve come a long way, baby. So it would seem - an important lesson for all us - from little things, big things grow.

Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 9856 Location: Adelaide

A good read.

Didn't know Shaz had played for the Keas ... a bit of a cross over to end up with Phoenix in 1997 then! (For those who don't know the history, Melbourne Pumas basically turned into Phoenix and Knox Keas basically became Kestrels. I suppose they picked up a few from other state league teams too.) Also didn't know about Coxy having a state league season in Melbourne! Wonder why she did that?

Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 1821

Yep McMahon went to VIS then Keas. O'Donnell used to always say 'if only' she'd followed the path to Kestrels like the other Keas.... Wink

But Plummer was the U21 Aussie coach at the time so she had a connection to Plummer and went to Phoenix.

Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 524

Quote:

The team who finished runner-up to the Pumas, Knox Keas had Shelley O’Donnell a soon-to-be Australian vice-captain and future Australian captain Sharelle McMahon. Nicole Cusack, now Australian assistant coach played alongside Mcmahon in their shooting circle. Future Australian player Nicole Richardson and Commonwealth Bank Trophy stalwarts Melanie Vivian, Peta Kennedy and Narelle Garbutt were also in the squad. A season earlier, Sue Gaudion - a former West Coast Fever coach also warmed their bench.

Hay so they have played in a team together and played alongside each other!!! Cool! However McMahon would have been a very young lady way back then, and obviously not half the player she has become. Still would have loved to see these 2 play together!

A really good article, great to read! Thankx for posting!

Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 153

My pleasure, hope it was okay.

Cox played as an import - I think a few NSW players did this because there was no full-season national league then.

Yeah, Cusack played as a Keas import - firstly alongside Tanya Edwards (who later played for Perth Oriels). As the season progressed, McMahon got more court time. They were still thrashed by Pumas in the finals, however.

I remember first watching McMahon play at the 95 nationals in the u/21's. She missed a heap of sitters in a semi that Vic lost. She was a bit mentally fragile back then.

And basically, yes Pumas and Eastside became Phoenix, while Keas, Palladians and Gippsland became Kestrels. However, McMahon went to Pumas and Jencke and Arnott went to Kestrels.

As we know Phoenix finished first and Kestrels finished last that season.

Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 34037

So I assume that was your own writing then? We should probably get RSI to put it in the "Netball related articles" section.

Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 2874

Great article!

Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 928 Location: Melbourne

Thanks for the article netfreak - great read and lots of interesting info

Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 5360 Location: Melbourne

Good stuff netfreak (speaking as a current Kestrels supporter! Mr. Green

) Nice to know the history, which was before my time.

Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 34037

Rob W wrote:

Nice to know the history, which was before my time.

Makes you sound like a real youngster, Rob. Wink

Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 5360 Location: Melbourne

That was teh idea! Laughing