Cairns Netball: Cutters experiment in search of winning formula
South Cairns Cutters netball coach Alison Daniels will keep tinkering with her line-up in an effort to discover her best on-court combination.
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South Cairns Cutters netball coach Alison Daniels will keep tinkering with her line-up in an effort to discover her best on-court combination.
The Cutters will take on Leprechauns in the third round of Cairns Netball Association’s Senior Division 1 competition on Wednesday night.
South Cairns split their first two games of the season, opening their campaign with a 43-32 win over Saints before a 43-35 defeat to Phoenix Fierce last week.
Daniels, who took over the coaching duties from Kristina Armstrong, said Wednesday night’s clash with last year’s runners-up was as much about experimentation as it was winning.
“We’re a bit of a mixed team this year, we’ve got a few girls from lower grades coming up and a few new girls, but they are jelling really well,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of combination’s in the team and a lot of girls that are very versatile, so it’s been really good to just see what works best on the court.”
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She said the club had taken a new approach to captaincy this season, with the responsibility to be shared around, at least for now.
“I don’t have one yet, we sort of take it in turns,” she said.
“I think all the girls deserve to have a bit of a go and each week I just pick somebody and they’re the captain.
“I guess I’ll have to get somebody in there permanently at the end of the season, but at the moment they’re all just playing their part.
“They’re all out there to help each other and lead each other around the court.”
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Daniels said the Cutters were doing things a bit differently in the COVID-affected season, and would need to be willing to make adjustments “on the run”, after a limited pre-season.
She said she was proud of her side’s efforts to start the season, especially considering they had no intentions of playing in the top division at the start of the year.
“We were actually in Division 2 at the beginning of the year and we were asked by Cairns Netball to come up to Division 1 after Bulldogs pulled out,” she said.
“It was bit of a shock, but I believed the girls were capable of doing it. We didn’t really know what we were up against until we took the court a few weeks ago.
“We might be the underdogs yet, but we’ll just see how we go. The girls are jelling really well so far and working together as a team.”
Daniels said the Leprechauns would provide a good test for her improving side.
“The girls upped their ante last week and it was a lot faster-paced game, and I’m sure this week’s going to be the same against Leps,” she said.
CAIRNS NETBALL ASSOCIATION SENIOR DIVISION 1
Round 3 — Wednesday night at CNA
6pm: Cutters v Leprechauns on Court 7, Fierce v Saints on Court 1.
7.20pm: Sharks v Tigers on Court 8.
Originally published as Cairns Netball: Cutters experiment in search of winning formula