Good morning Families,

Winter weather has certainly hit hard and we have a number children will flu type illness. Please make sure you recover well before returning to training and we appreciate how diligent everyone is being with letting us know they cannot attend games or training.

We have a lot going on at the moment across the age groups so l thought l would provide an update.

Future Generation
This new addition to our program has been a huge success and we love the coaching that Megan and Sarah are providing. Both coaches play in our older teams 17 1s and the Open team and are fantastic role models for the young players. This program will continue in Semester Two and we may look to open it up to other players who are keen to get involved.

11/U
The 11/U team are working hard at training and we have arranged some friendly matches against Sandringham & District on Sunday 19th June at 12 noon at Duncan Mackinnon. These will be a great chance for longer game play than tournaments and a real chance to implement feedback provided during the match. Please RSVP your availability if you have not already.

13/U
The 13/U teams are heading into finals and we are very proud to say that all 13s teams will be playing in the Waverley finals this season - a wonderful effort by the players, coaches and parents as we know it can be difficult getting players to Waverley for those early time slots.
I would encourage 13s players to take opportunities to play up in 15s as a fill in whenever it presents as this is a good chance to test yourself against older, stronger players. We do not play players out of their age group as a rule because the Netball Victoria pathway doesn't really lend itself to this - but opportunities to play as a fill in are a good one to take for individual player development. We also understand the logistics around this can be challenging!

13 1 and 13 2 have Association Championships this weekend and a home court advantage so good luck to all players and coaches involved. I will send information through once l receive it and l suggest it will probably be Thursday.

15/U
The 15s teams have had a very successful Autumn season at Waverley and we will have 15 1 and 15 4 playing in finals. 15 2 may sneak in and this would be a great achievement as they moved up a section after grading.
15 1s and 15 2 played association champs recently with the 15 1s having a 1 goal loss and a draw which saw them end up 3rd. 15 2s played some solid netball most of the day and should be pleased with the progress they are making individually and as a team.

Netball Victoria talent selectors were in attendance and this is to select players to move forward to trials for Talent Academy. Talent Academy is a pathway program where players attend training sessions one a month for approximately a 9 month period. We will advise as soon as the lists are provided.

17/U
Our 17s teams are sitting right up the top of the ladder in their respective sections. 17 1s in 1st place and 17 2s in 2nd place. This is a great result and we are very proud of these teams who have been disrupted with many players being unavailable at various times. Thank you to our training partners who have stepped up and played when needed often at very short notice. We really appreciate this.
Both teams enjoyed Association championships with the 17 1s finishing 3rd, also ruing a 1 goal loss which saw them miss finals and the 17 2s digging deep with lots of players unavailable - again thank you TP's.
There were a lot of VNL coaches in attendance at association champs and several of them spoke to me about our teams and the talent on offer - they will be in touch to encourage players to attend trials and we will pass that info on.

Henderson
Congratulations to all the players who attended Henderson trials last weekend. It is a brave move to put yourself out for trials and we had record numbers of players who did this. We are very proud of you for trialling and look forward to hearing the results of your trials.
To those players who do not get selected this time - remember this is a very talented region and sometimes you miss out. This is never fun and we understand how disappointing it is - but try and use it as a learning opportunity. What do you need to change in your game, do you need to improve your strength, your fitness, your speed. Do not give up - maybe you just had an off day or the selectors were looking for something else.

Lastly l would like shout out the rep parents & coaches who have recently gotten involved in the CDNA Committee - responsible for working with Penny our Operations Manager to run the association. We appreciate you volunteering your time to make netball happen for our players - a very big THANK YOU.

Have a great day!

Kind Regards
Jen