Jade Heinrich aiming to turn around the Ariels horror run

Currently in the midst of an extended winless run, new Ariels coach Jade Heinrich has revealed how she plans to turn it all around.

New Ariels coach Jade Heinrich is aware of the challenge at hand and isn’t willing to put a black and white pass mark out for season 2023.

The Ariels are 0-2 to start the Victorian Netball League (VNL) season after going 0-17 – prior to Heinrich’s appointment – last year.

Heinrich doesn’t want to outline a certain number of wins or a specific benchmark of what she wants her side to achieve, instead, she wants to focus on feel.

“I don’t know that you can really put on a formal figure or KPI on what our pass mark is going to be,” she said.

“I want to look back at the end of the season and go: ‘wow, we got so much better’.

“I think if I have that thought, then I feel like we have achieved what we want to do.

“We want to improve each week, even if it’s by one per cent, we want to ensure we are improving; last night (Wednesday) was not ideal but there were still things that we recognised were different to the week before.

“We have to make sure everyone is still in the right headspace because we are a new team and it takes time to build.

“I feel like success is measured in so many ways and sometimes it can be a feeling, ultimately if you feel that things have got better than that’s a pretty good indication.”

Jade Heinrich while coaching for the Wilson Storage Southern Saints. VNL in 2018. Picture: David Crosling

After coaching successful VNL sides Peninsula Waves and Southern Saints, as well as powerhouse local outfit Narre Warren, in the past, Heinrich says she still needed to discover a plan to improve Ariels as a club.

“One size doesn’t fit all, I think this early part where we have been pulling a group of players together, is the first insight into what we’re trying to build,” she said.

“We have spent a fair chunk of the pre-season working through: what does Ariels want to look like in the future, what does it want to feel like for players, for coaches, what is this direction and where do we want to be heading.

“There’s a fair bit of work in that, I think one of the main focus points has been making sure we have good people as well as good players in their specialist area, people that have passion for Ariels and want to see it happen in a positive way.

“We definitely are not looking at it as after a few bumpy rounds it will be smooth sailing, I think it’s going to be a long game but I feel what has been built in this short period is a good foundation for where we want to go.”

Heinrich thoroughly enjoyed the culture around netball when she was playing.

A specific area of improvement Heinrich is hoping to improve is the club culture, revealing a steady environment is one of her most treasured aspects of netball.

“Culture for me is something I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of,” she said.

“When you feel like you belong and everyone around you is like-minded with the same aspirations, it’s a really special feeling and above everything else we wanted to make sure the culture at Ariels is around that feeling.

‘Training, game night, whatever club event we’re at, making sure that feeling is there – I am the Championship coach, but I want to know every single every Ariel and they know we aren’t separate teams, we are one place.”

Heinrich will lead her Ariels into a clash with her former side, Wilson Storage Southern Saints, next Wednesday at Oakleigh Recreation Centre.

ARIELS CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION LIST: Ally Black, Emmalia Blake, Amelia Brock (vice captain), Beth Chiuchiarelli, Jamie Clark, Charlotte Davies, Kyra Esler, Ashleigh Gill (co-captain), Carly Harrison (co-captain), Georgia Hellyer, Sarah Hepburn. Lucy Hoogenboom, Bethany Hosking, Brydi Hutchinson, Abby Gregorovich, Cassandra Grigoriadis, Tallulah Lewis, Taylah Lloyd, Ella Ogier, Kirra Parks, Elly Randall, Taya Rawson, Joanna Wietrzyk, Stacey Woodrow