Lady Hawks aim for finals after disappointing 2013 end

The Perry Lakes Hawks women were disappointed to not make the playoffs in 2013 and despite losing their top-three scorers, they are focusing in on at least making the finals in 2014 and coach CJ Jackson likes the way they have started.

Jackson is now in his second season as coach of the Lady Hawks with the former star player, coach of Mandurah, Perth and Cockburn, and SBL head honcho impressed with his team's start which has seen them win four of their seven matches.

The Hawks missed the playoffs in 2013 finishing in 10th position with a 9-13 record having lost their last seven matches and then coming into 2014, they lost top-scorers Gabriella Clayton, Natalie Burton and Belinda Mayger.

However, one of the main reasons that Jackson was keen on the Perry Lakes job in the first place was because of the junior players coming through the ranks and it is many of those young players that currently see the Hawks in sixth position.

So far in 2014, Kate Anthony, Anna Kovats, Sarah Donovan, Rosie Tobin, Jessie Clayton and Megan McKay are among the Hawks players impressing.

"I'm really happy with the way the girls are going. They are responding well and I know we have up and coming players coming through to fill those positions going forward as well," Jackson said.

"I think we've had a pretty successful season so far. One of our major things is that we have had a lot of players missing out of our line-up due to under-18 nationals and other girls being away. I'm pretty happy with our record considering all of that."

The Perry Lakes players who have returned from 2013 are all disappointed to miss the playoffs last year, and want to make amends in 2014. And they don’t want to just end up making up the numbers either.

"I think each week we look forward to all the challenges that are in front of us. We had such a disappointing end to last year and that's the reason why the girls have taken it to heart, and want a better year," he said.

"The girls felt we should have made the finals and this year they are playing a bit harder, and they do want to put themselves in a position where they can be in the playoffs.

"I feel like we are in a good position and can make the playoffs, we just have to continue to do our hard work and try to control our own destiny. We don’t want to have to rely on other teams, we want to do that for ourselves."

While Jackson is encouraged by the way the Hawks have started the 2014 season, his eyes are on the longer-term future with Perry Lakes.

"The benefit of our club is the young players we have coming through and that's not just the SBL level, that's also at the WABL division," he said.

"We have some really good under-12s, 14, 16s and 18s coming through so that was one of the reasons I wanted to take the position on because I know our club is pretty much set for the next 10 years with the talent coming up through the ranks."

Article by Chris Pike

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