VNL: Vanessa Augustini talks Western Warriors and first-time motherhood

Geelong netballer Vanessa Augustini reveals her greatest achievement to date, as the experienced midcourter prepares for a return to court in the 2024 Victorian Netball League.

Former Geelong Cougar Vanessa Augustini has joined new VNL club Western Warriors for 2024. Picture: Mark Wilson

New motherhood has sparked a profound joy in Newtown and Chilwell midcourter Vanessa Augustini as she prepares to return to court with a new Victorian Netball League club.

The former Geelong Cougar is linked with Western Warriors’ championship team, based out of Melton, for 2024.

The Warriors are one of three clubs to debut in the state league in 2024, alongside Bendigo Strikers and Gippsland Stars.

Augustini, a first-time mother to seven-month-old Charlotte, said it had been a period of “a lot of transitions for her” but feels physically and mentally ready to step back on court, including for the powerhouse Eagles in the upcoming Geelong Football Netball League season.

“It’s such a joy, my greatest achievement so far,” Augustini said of her daughter.

“It’s been a profound experience.”

Augustini, who recently turned 30, revealed it was a connection to a former mentor, Darren Abela, which first started conversations with Western Warriors.

“He gave me a call and said they’d started a new franchise and would really like me to be part of the team,” Augustini said.

“Having some time off, I didn’t think anyone would want me on their team so it was nice to know he thought of me and (it) gave me a real pep in my step.”

Warriors’ new head coach Kim Bailey, who previously coached at Geelong Cougars during Augustini’s time at the club, was another selling point, as was playing alongside Julia Woolley, a Newtown and Chilwell teammate, again.

Julia Wooley shoots a goal. Picture: Mark Wilson

“That was a comfort for me, I call her the goal attack to my wing attack and vice versa,” Augustini said of Woolley.

“She’s such an integral part of not only netball for me, just because she’s such an incredible player, but the journey we’ve had in terms of the relationship we’ve built on court.”

Augustini, who admitted she is still working through how much she can commit to the Warriors due to a potential house build and move, said it was a “huge task” to build a new VNL team from scratch but praised the club for its hard work.

“I’ve been really impressed with the professionalism, the culture they’ve tried to create,” she said.

“Culture is a big thing for me. If I enjoy being there, enjoy the players, that really in turn will reflect how we perform.

“They’ve come in with some experienced players and come in with some youth, they’ve done an incredible job of reaching a lot of players from a wide range of locations.

“It speaks to the coaches, the people behind the scenes.”

Augustini, who spent time in Collingwood Magpies’ netball program, was excited to see how the Warriors translate a positive pre-season into matches, including their practice game against Geelong Cougars on Monday night.

“Even our first scratch match we had with (reigning grand finalist) Boroondara, you could see we were holding our own against the girls despite being such a new club, you could see those relationships were already starting to play out,” she said.

With the upcoming VNL season underway from March 6, Augustini is optimistic about what the new format and expanded competition means for the sport.

“It’s incredible to see what we’re doing with women’s and men’s netball as a whole,” Augustini said.

“To see them make moves and try to better the sport is always exciting.

“It’s always good to have new competition and new players, I’m excited to see how the teams shape up and how we compete against each other.”

Each week, KommunityTV will live stream an exclusive match of the round from the VNL through the Geelong Advertiser website.

Originally published as VNL: Vanessa Augustini talks Western Warriors and first-time motherhood