AIS netball team ready for Australian Netball League

2009 AIS Netball team

22 Jul 2009

Week One of the New Idea ANL (Australian Netball League) sees the NSW Blues and Waratahs travel to Canberra to take on 2008 runners-up, the Australian Institute of Sport.

First to take the court against the AIS will be the Netball NSW Waratahs on Friday 24 July. New South Wales Institute of Sport development coach Robert Wright is at the helm of this talented team, with an average age of 20.

The Waratahs line up is strong in experience with nine returning ANL players, including three familiar names from the 2009 NSW Swifts roster: Erin Bell, Ashlee Mann and Jessica Mansell.

‘I’m very pleased with the way the team has been training the last few weeks, particularly our performances in our trial matches,’ Waratahs coach Rob Wright said.

‘Facing the AIS in the first round is going to be a challenge as they are a very talented team. But it will give us a good indication of where we are at and what we need to improve on if we are to be a force in the competition.’

On Saturday 25 July, the Netball NSW Blues will go head-to-head with the AIS. NSW Swifts Assistant Coach Tracey Robinson will take the reins of this exciting team which features a potent shooting line-up sure to cause headaches for opposition defenders and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

‘The competition this year is going to be very tight so we will need to hit the mark early if we are to feature in the finals,’ Blues coach Tracey Robinson said.

‘'I’m very excited about our attacking end; we have plenty of options in the shooting circle which is a bonus.’

‘But against the AIS we will need to ensure that defensively we are on our game by limiting their scoring opportunities through full-court pressure.’

On paper, the AIS is one of the strongest teams in the competition featuring seven players from the 2009 Australian under-21 team that will contest the World Youth Cup in August.

With this in mind, week one is poised to see some exciting, tough netball played on court as all three teams aim to start their seasons on a winning note and be in the running to win the 2009 league.