Drysdale land top 5 scalp over Queenscliff, Torquay sign Madi Browne as head coach until 2028
Improving Drysdale has landed its most significant win under new coach Calsey Taylor, days after Torquay appointed ex-Diamond Madi Browne as its head coach until 2028.
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Drysdale coach Calsey Taylor believes her A-grade Hawks are proving their competitive chops in the Bellarine after toppling top 3 outfit Queenscliff.
Coming home strong with a 47-43 win against last year’s semi finalists on Saturday, it marked the Hawks’ third win in a row and their fourth for the season to move into seventh – just two wins outside finals positions with seven rounds to go.
With the help of Taylor and a handful of new recruits, the Hawks had looked to start fresh in 2025 after last year’s dour 1-17 campaign, with early ambitions centred on lifting their competitive floor rather then getting a certain amount of wins on the board.
It showed in their opening rounds despite a 1-6 start – with five losses decided by five goals or less, and three of those coming against top 5 sides.
Challenging the lessons learnt from several tight clashes into Saturday’s clash against the Coutas, the Hawks first worked themselves into the game to level scores by three-quarter time before storming home a 13-9 final term.
“We knew there was going to be big moments in that last quarter and the girls stepped up,” Taylor said.
“It was a massive win for us … I was just so proud of them.”
Both teams have dealt with their fair share of injury woes coming into round 11 – the Coutas losing captains Kaitlin Gladman (ACL) and Laura Cayzer (calf) to season ending injuries, with Hawks duo Maddison Connally and Amaliya Taylor also out for the rest of the season with knee injuries.
It saw Taylor, who is also sidelined with a shoulder injury, forced to make a handful of positional changes, though she backed in starting seven on Saturday to get the job done against a deep Coutas’ roster.
“I really wanted the girls to stick it out and work it out on court, which they did,” she said.
“And I think in previous games, we’ve learnt we’ve made too many changes.”
Nicole Butler, who rejoined the Hawks this season, starred in goal keeper with her trio of match-ups including Coutas goaler Phoebe Knox (20 goals), while working in tandem with goal defender Chloe Hobbs, who has swung from attack to defence in recent weeks.
“She (Butler) got a lot of ball right when we needed her too, and I think that’s just her experience,” Taylor said.
“And (Hobbs) has been amazing to be able to play both ends, and we do need her up the goal end as well and she’s a great goaler, but she’s just doing what’s right for the team and playing where we need to play her which is really good of her.”
Taylor, who recently recommitted as Drysdale’s A-grade coach until the end of 2027, called it an easy decision when she met with the club after round 6, buoyed by her team’s progress and their growing standing within a tough league.
“From day dot, I was super confident with the team we had, it was just more about working on those connections which is always going to take time,” she said.
“We’re starting to click now.”
Netball legend to lead Tigers into new era
Torquay has ushered in its new era under Madi Browne with a string of strong results.
The club announced last week the ex-Diamonds star and dual Liz Ellis Diamond winner had put pen to paper on a three-year deal as their new head coach, tying her to the club until the end of 2028.
It came after Browne took the reins mid-season from Sonia Harris, who has set off to travel Australia with her family after four years in the role.
First approached about the main coaching gig after relocating to Torquay, Browne initially joined the Tigers as a senior netball specialist last November, the 37-year-old looking to gradually integrate back into the local netball scene after more than 15 years in Melbourne.
Torquay Netball Club president Michael Gibson said Browne’s appointment was “a historic moment for the club”
“Madi’s experience and professionalism lift us to a new level and her presence cements Torquay as a genuine destination for netballers across the region,” Gibson said.
It’s been a solid past three rounds for the 7-4 Tigers, who first downed fellow top 5 rival Newcomb by 10 goals on the Kings Birthday weekend, before pushing reigning premier Ocean Grove to within three goals in round 10 – inaccuracy the Tigers’ downfall (75.36 per cent to the Grubbers’ 83.33) in the 52-55 defeat.
But buoyed by Browne's commitment as coach midweek, the Tigers came out with a confident 53-39 win over Barwon Heads on Saturday – breaking open the game with a 27-15 second half, as Daisy O’Kane (46 goals) continued her run of form after missing five of the opening eight rounds.
Meanwhile, the Tigers highlighted Harris’ impact on the club in a Facebook post earlier this month following her departure.
“Sonia’s love for our club and its people has always been profound,” it read.
“She’s set a high bar. From ambitious pre-season camps to pushing our club to aim higher and dream bigger – she’s never been afraid to say we can be the best in the Geelong and Bellarine region.
“While the premiership success you were chasing may not have come during your time as coach, when that day comes, and we know it will, we’ll be able to look back and see your footprints behind us, having helped pave the way.”
Shooters reign supreme in the GFNL
The race to secure this year’s Geelong Football Netball League’s hot shots title is heating up at the midway mark of the season.
Last year’s winner Ellen Doyle, buoyed by a 48-goal performance against St Mary’s on Saturday, has taken the lead from St Joseph’s sharpshooter and recruit Ella Closter.
The South Barwon goaler has been in a rich vein of form recently, averaging 57.75 goals in her last four games including 96 against battlers St Albans, with her 361 goals – two ahead of Closter – also coming in two less games.
Closter, who joined the Joeys from the Darley, sunk 34 shots in a 53-27 win over Bell Park in round 9 to take her season tally to 359 in 10 games.
Rounding out the top three, and off the back of a confident 58-goal performance at 93.55 per cent efficiency against Grovedale on Saturday, is Geelong West’s Aleisha McDonald.
McDonald has put up 357 goals in eight games, with her 84 per cent efficiency rating just shy of Doyle’s at 85.75 per cent.
Round 9 saw each of the top 4 clubs bank wins, while Leopold moved into the top 5 with a 55-36 win over St Albans.
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Originally published as Drysdale land top 5 scalp over Queenscliff, Torquay sign Madi Browne as head coach until 2028
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