Southeast Melbourne coach Tracey Neville talks hunt for talent for Super Netball’s newest franchise

The coach of Super Netball’s newest franchise has refused to name any players the club will hunt when the signing window opens Monday, but says they are ready for the dogfight.

Incoming southeast Melbourne coach Tracey Neville says strategy will be key in the new franchise’s recruitment drive given they start behind the existing seven Super Netball clubs.

Neville, who was confirmed as the coach of the new club via a Zoom call in South Africa, where she is watching the World Cup, refused to name any players the new club was targeting for the “dogfight” that will occur from Monday when the signing window opens.

The former England Roses mentor has incredibly close relationships with several former players, including Eleanor Cardwell, with whom she worked at club level at Manchester Thunder and then last season, at the Thunderbirds, where Cardwell helped Adelaide break a decade-long title drought with a grand final MVP performance.

Tracey Neville will coach Super Netball’s newest franchise. (Photo by Morgan Harlow/Getty Images)

“I don’t think I’m at a position yet to discuss players,” Neville said.

“For me, the most important thing going into what will be a dogfight on Monday I think, considering there’s no CPA (Collective Player Agreement) or recruiting window set, from my point of view, it was about the recruiting strategy.

“There’s how many players across the whole of the SSN (Super Netball), there’s players that are across international netball as well, which is why I’m out here in South Africa, so I think a recruitment strategy is key.

“And that’s something that me and the team have been really driving over the last few days.”

While the existing seven teams have been able to hold non-binding discussions with their own players and Collingwood players ahead of the official opening of the signing window, the new club is unable to enter the race until next Monday.

And they will only be able to officially sign players if Team Participation Agreements (TPA) have been signed by all clubs and a new CPA is in place.

Clubs have also been able to hold discussions with any player currently outside the Super Netball system and while Neville has a smorgasbord of talent in front of her in South Africa, she fears she and the new franchise are starting from behind in the race.

“The difficulty for me is that when you really come into this sort of position, I think everyone’s been having a little bit of crack at those players before me, so I’m maybe two or three months too late,” Neville said.

“So I’m on this escalator trying to run at 20 mile an hour trying to keep up with everybody else.

“It’s going to be a really exciting process and hopefully there’s going to be some stability created by ANPA (Australian Netball Players Association) around these particular players to get things agreed quite quickly and get players really settled.

“They’ve got a lot to think about at the moment at this World Cup and I think that’s their main priority.”

Victoria is expected to be the focus of her hunt for players. pic Mark Evans

While Neville is in South Africa and has links to several English players, she’s clear that Victoria will be the focus of the club.

“From my point of view, a huge part in our recruitment strategy is Victoria,” Neville said.

“I come from Manchester Thunder where I’ve been quite involved in their strategy building and … if you’re going to try and get fan engagement, you also have to bring through the talent and the next stage of that particular area that you’re in and that was really, really key to the success of Manchester Thunder.

“In respect to the English, all the English Superleague teams have now been signed, all the players have now been signed, so that is definitely one crutch that is out the window … we’re probably about a month too late.”

Neville though won’t just be a foreign coach trying to fit wooden pegs into round Australian holes.

She knows how important it will be to the success of the new franchise to have local heroes to look up to, especially if the southeast Melbourne team is to avoid the mistakes Collingwood made in attempting to sign a championship team on day one and forgetting to build a solid foundation.

“If you look at where I was with Adelaide Thunderbirds, a lot of that heritage and a lot of what Tania Obst is striving (to do) there is about South Australian players and bringing that next crop of youngsters through,” Neville said.

“And I think that is key in moves in respect to engaging the next coaches, engaging the next players, but also engaging the fans within that Victorian and southeast Melbourne area.

Originally published as Southeast Melbourne coach Tracey Neville talks hunt for talent for Super Netball’s newest franchise