Contax confident of another netball championship ahead of Premier League season start

CONTAX will be without four starters from last year’s winning grand final team when the new Premier League season starts at Netball SA Stadium Thursday night.

Premier League netball captains before the season start. Photo: Tricia Watkinson.

CONTAX will be without four starters from last year’s winning grand final team when the new Premier League season starts at Netball SA Stadium Thursday night.

That does not mean the club is aiming for anything less than reaching another premiership decider this year.

“Last year was a lovely memory but we’re all about moving forward,” Contax coach Leanne Eichler said.

“At Contax we’ve got really high expectations and in A grade and reserves we want to be playing in that final game, and that is always our expectation.”

Chelsea Lemke (Queensland Firebirds), Maddy Turner (NSW Swifts), Kate Shimmin (Adelaide Thunderbirds) and Lauren Hyde (retired) headline Contax’s departures since the club’s 12-goal grand final victory over Matrics in July.

Recruit Sasha Glasgow (Moonta Bay) will get a crack at replacing Lemke in the goal circle, while Amehlia Schmidt is primed to step up in defence.

“There’s been a really good feel around the group since we started in November,” Eichler said.

“We do have the depth in our squad and it now means there’s players who will be given opportunities.”

Matrics looms as a title contender again, while last year’s beaten preliminary finalist Phoenix is hoping to go one better this season after bringing back Kelly Altmann and Alicia Marzahn from Garville.

New Phoenix coach Brian Lines is a former Garville assistant.

“Brian’s been tough on us but the group’s responded well to a bit of tough love,” Phoenix captain Luka Thompson said.

“We’ve gone from fourth to third in two years, now we want to make a grand final and take out a premiership.”

Garville co-captain Esther Young said her club, which finished fourth last year, was confident it could again be in the finals mix despite losing five key players and boasting just one squad member older than 21.

Co-captain Georgie Virgo has moved to goal attack following the retirement of Chloe Drogemuller, while ex-Thunderbird Kristina Brice will start as goal shooter.

“We’ve got a lot of girls who haven’t played at this level but we’ve got nothing to lose and we’re going to give it everything,” Young said.

Former Cougars mentor Jim Haldane has taken over the reins at Western Jets, while former Thunderbirds midcourter Leigh Waddington has become Tango’s captain.

PREMIER LEAGUE

CONTAX

Last season: Premier

Coach: Leanne Eichler

Captains: Gia Abernethy, Georgia Beaton

Ins: Sasha Glasgow (Moonta Bay)

Outs: Lauren Hyde (retired), Chelsea Lemke (Queensland Firebirds), Kate Shimmin

(Thunderbirds), Maddy Turner (NSW Swifts), Kelsey Williams (Jaguars)

GARVILLE

Last season: Fourth

Coach: Jackie Blyth

Captain: Georgie Virgo, Esther Young

Ins: Kristina Brice (Thunderbirds), Sienna Allen, Rachel Weidemann (Phoenix), Laura Jarmyn

Outs: Kelly Altmann (Phoenix), Chloe Drogemuller (retired), Tamika Arias (retired), Alicia

Marahzn (Phoenix), Nicola Yeeles

MATRICS

Last season: Runner-up

Coach: Jacqui Illman

Captain: Sheree Wingard

Ins: Sophie Croft (Riverland)

Outs: Carly Foulis

NEWTON JAGUARS

Last season: Sixth

Coach: Robyn Jesewski

Captains: Emily van den Munckhof, Beth Shimmin

Ins: Kelsey Williams (Contax)

Outs: Nicole Wood (retired)

PHOENIX

Last season: Third

Coach: Brian Lines

Captain: Luka Thompson

Ins: Kelly Altmann, Alicia Marzahn (Garville), Louise Broadbridge (Western Jets)

Outs: Nadia Mapunda, Mel Frederick (retired)

TANGO

Last season: Fifth

Coach: Scott Waddington

Captain: Leigh Waddington

Ins: Stephanie Puopolo, Teagan Lang, Peyton Fuller

Outs: Jenno Mendo (retired), Sarah Raper (knee injury), Stephanie Greenland (Western Jets)

WESTERN JETS

Last season:

Coach: Jim Haldane

Captain: Stephanie Greenland

Ins: Stephanie Greenland (Tango), Sophie Clingly, Kimberley Haydon, Rachel

Head, Maddie Jessup, Tamara Killian, Leanne Maxwell, Georgina Moore, Kelsie Serrels, Syke

Stoyanoff, Alyce Taylor

Outs: Mel Tump (retired), Joanne Baldwin (retired), Louise Broadbridge (Phoenix), Karla Zanardo

WOODS PANTHERS

Last season: Eighth

Coach: Trudy Barker

Captain: Megan Vine

Ins: Alice Gerlach

Outs: Nil

Originally published as Contax confident of another netball championship ahead of Premier League season start