Top form … Vikki Bester, left, and Jacinta Todd will play vital parts in Hume City’s premiership defence of the Championship Division title this season. 43541 Picture: TIM DOUTRE
By Tim Doutré
GETTING to the top is hard, but staying there is another thing all together but the Hume City Falcons, who have dominated the Victorian Netball League Championship Division since its inception in 2008, will look to continue their form in 2010.
After taking out last year’s grand final, the Falcons once again under the guidance of coach Marg Lind are primed heading in to tomorrow night’s season opener against Yarra Valley Grammar at the State Netball Centre.
“We’d expect to be up and about in Championship (division) this year no question,” Lind said.
Lind expected all three Falcons sides – Championship, Division One and the under-19s – to perform at the top end of their competitions.
“I would expect the Div One side to be up and about, they will take a little longer may be half in the season to hit their straps because they are so young and the 19s are virtually a new team – mid-range top four we would be pitching.
“Really all three should make top four but that will depend on injuries, etc.”
The Championship Falcons side will have a couple of changes to the team that finished on top of the ladder and took out the premiership last season.
The loss of Tegan Caldwell to the national competition will hurt but Lind hopes to have filled the gap.
“Our goal attack Tegan Caldwell from the championship team has been picked up by the (Melbourne) Vixens so we will have her for some of the season but not the whole season.
“In the meantime we are replacing her with a girl called Cynna Neele – a former Australian player and former (Melbourne) Kestrels player.”
Lind expected the experienced Neele to rotate up forward with Goal Shooter Lara McLeod.
The club has been basing itself out of the Altona Netball stadium in a coup for the West.
“We were originally based in Broadmeadows but we are actually based in Altona now,” Lind said.
“Initially when we pitched the franchise it was more in the Broadmeadows area but Altona is the second biggest association in the state so it makes sense for us to locate ourselves more that way.
“Even in the championships (team) three of our girls live in Spotswood … and division one there are probably six or seven that live out the Altona-Footscray way and the 19s are the same so it seems that a lot of players are coming from that area.”
The Falcons have been developing junior talent in the West since last season.
“We recognised the need to develop juniors in the West so in partnership with Altona Netball Association we decided to run an elite training environment for young kids.
“Once a fortnight they come in and they get training like we would give to top level players.”
The Falcons dropped just one of four matches in the pre-season tournament although Lind admitted they had treated them as practice matches.
“Results haven’t been too bad, probably where we’d expect.”
There will be no half-hearted efforts tomorrow night though as the Falcons take their first step in their premiership defence.
The Falcons round one match will be played at the State Netball Centre at 7pm against Yarra Valley.
