Surfcoast Chargers women’s team address a form slide and massive injury toll to be on the cusp of Big V finals
After suffering from one of the Big V’s biggest casualty wards amid a five-game losing streak, the Surfcoast Chargers are now poised for finals action.
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Season 2025 has been a lesson in resilience for Surfcoast Chargers women’s coach, Stefanie Grayson.
Earlier in the Big V campaign, the division two mentor had been forced to plug holes with an increasingly diminished roster.
Amid a five-game losing streak, the Chargers have suffered from a raft of players battling injuries at different stages, including Candice Rogers (back), Jess Scannell (calf), Brooke McKay (hip), Lisa Patterson (hip), Ash Withers (ankle), Anna Teague (calf), Molly Kent (knee) and Anjelique Hooiveld (finger).
Grayson said it was an injury toll she’d never experienced with a single team before, and when asked to describe the season so far she said “challenging”.
“Speaking to Jess (Scannell) who’s been playing at a high level for 16 years, she’s like: ‘this is the most injury-ridden season I’ve ever seen’,” Grayson said.
“It’s just been crazy.”
Fortunately, Rogers – who is in the competition’s top two for average points and rebounds – and Scannell have been quick turnarounds.
Slowly reassembling the Chargers’ best mix with finals looming, Kent is likely to be out for the season while Hooiveld is possibly two weeks away and Withers may return for Saturday’s game against Southern Peninsula.
It’s been an exciting year for the Surfcoast Basketball Association across the board, with Dan Riches’ division two men currently in second place after an 11-2 season.
Meanwhile, around 500 new seats will be installed at Wurdi Baierr Stadium this month, creating a single showcourt.
Grayson said her fifth-placed team had stuck together, despite the rising injury toll and five winless games between April 26 and May 24.
“The fact that the girls have stuck together (has been great),” she said.
“They’ve been really positive about it all, figuring out what we can do with all the players that we’ve got.
“And learning from losses.”
She said a lack of a bench and an inability to either start, or finish, games strongly remained an issue during that period.
However, the Chargers have gone 2-2 since that five-game losing run, including their best win of the season, downing top two team Gippsland United, 74-63, last weekend.
“The team game we played was sensational,” she said.
“Nobody played an individual game, everyone was there for each other looking for the best shot.
“It was really nice to watch, great to coach obviously but really nice to watch.
“Our best basketball is yet to come.”
Meanwhile, she praised the game of Lisa Patterson, who juggles her basketball with one of the most demanding jobs in local sport as regional manager for AFL Barwon.
Patterson has become a go-to player for shutting down an opposition weapon.
“She’s killing it on court too,” Grayson said.
“I think it also gives her a bit of a break from everything happening outside.
“Sunday was a perfect example of that (against Blackburn), she went out and absolutely smashed it.
“There’s a lot of pressure with her new job but being able to get out there and just have a bit of fun.
“I quite like that aggression on court, I like that drive, and whether she’s pulling that from frustrations from work or whatever, I don’t really mind, as long as it’s used for the greater good (laughs).
“She’s one of my guards, but her defence has absolutely been phenomenal since she’s come back from injury.
“I’m putting her on players that I want to essentially be taken out of the game, complete denial of the ball, and she’s been able to do that.
“And that’s just helped her offensive game.”
Originally published as Surfcoast Chargers women’s team address a form slide and massive injury toll to be on the cusp of Big V finals
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