IN 2014, then South Barwon coach Sascha Veldhuis caused a big stir in local netball when she claimed its preliminary final against Leopold was the true GFL A grade grand final.
What Veldhuis was not-so-subtly pointing out was that the team already in the grand final, Newtown & Chilwell, was made up almost entirely of Melbourne-based state league recruits, and therefore not a true Geelong league team.
Her words did not sit well with AFL Barwon and certainly hit a raw nerve at Newtown, which had won its first A-grade title the previous year on the back of its bold — and controversial — recruiting policy.
But the Swans coach’s words resonated. And she had plenty of support in the local netball community at the time.
So were they petty or on the money?
On Saturday, Newtown begins yet another finals campaign as the raging hot premiership favourite, meeting its now arch-enemy in South Barwon in the second semi-final.
While many scoffed at the time that it would be a case of short-term gain amounting to long-term pain for Newtown, the cash splash that took the club from A-grade obscurity to a premiership in 2013 continues to pay amazing dividends.
Consider this: Newtown & Chilwell has now won 78 straight games and banked three premierships in A-grade since the arrival of its star recruits.
But these players have proven themselves to be no fly-by-nighters who have taken their money and run, as has happened at many a local footy club which has gone out and tried to “buy a premiership”.
Rather, ask anyone at Newtown, and these players have embraced the club as much as it has embraced them. They are now Newtown people, through and through.
But arguably the greatest tribute to the success of Newtown’s recruiting strategy has been the club’s ability to build a culture of success through all its netball divisions. And sustain it.
Any fears that the local players who were replaced in A-grade would desert the club have long been laid to rest. Instead, it has led to a knock-on effect that has made Newtown a force through the lower grades.
The Eagles have experienced success in recent seasons.
The Eagles have all four senior grades in the finals. Last year, they had their A, B, C and under-19 teams in the finals.
A big portion of that success can be attributed to what their state league stars bring to the club off the court.
Some of them coach at junior level, others work closely with players down the grades.
“There were those doom-and-gloom predictions,” coach Jason Woolley said, reflecting on the external noise surrounding Newtown’s initial recruiting campaign.
“But internally, we knew the girls and what they would bring to the club. We knew they would put back in and help create a good culture.
“Danni Stewart was really big in pushing that and they are all definitely Newtown people now.”
While Newtown’s domination might not be considered good for netball, what can’t be denied is that it has raised the bar in the GFL.
The league has never had more state league players. And the depth of talent was best demonstrated when the Geelong Cougars state league team was playing, drawing the top players away for an association championship, the next line of players stepped up and still comfortably won the association championship.
“I have no doubt that the GFL is the strongest league throughout the state now,” said Woolley, who is an experienced Victorian Netball League coach.
The shift in culture has also been noticeable.
Football has always celebrated recruiting former AFL or VFL players into local clubs, but when Newtown did it with its netball club it drew widespread criticism.
That stance has softened and GFL netball is now big business in the sense that most clubs have contracts for all their A-grade players, and in some cases, B-grade players.
The girls are getting their slice of the pie. Whether that is right or an extra burden on clubs is to be debated. But it is now the norm.
In terms of this year’s finals, many believe it is again a race for second.
But Woolley doesn’t subscribe to that theory.
“Not at all. I’ve got a lot of respect for South Barwon. Their team has a lot of strong players. Their twin talls in Ruby Horton and Kate Thompson are always going to be a problem,” he said.
“So that midcourt is definitely the key for us, but they have a strong midcourt as well with players like Olivia Cameron who have been around the league for a long time.
“But I also think St Joseph’s is a sleeper in the pack. They have a few players I coach in the VNL who are good young players, so I wouldn’t write them off at all.
“We’re just excited to be here again and to have four teams in the finals. It’s certainly a good place to be.”
Last Modified on 10/10/2016 20:10