Sport
21 September, 2023
A grade leadership an exciting new challenge for Carroll
“I haven’t coached A grade before, but I’ve been around netball for a long time. I’m looking forward to getting a good group of girls together and seeing what we can achieve.” Carroll’s first foray into the Maryborough Castlemaine...

The momentum of the new Maryborough Giants club continues to build, appointing Annalyse Carroll as the inaugural A grade netball coach.
Carroll has recently moved into the area, having previously played for Heathcote in the Heathcote District Football Netball League.
Carroll will be a playing-coach, and is set to provide some versatility to a Giants team that will be looking to make an immediate splash, with her ability to play at both ends of the court standing out.
She got a taste of what to expect when she lined up for Rovers — who have combined with Royal Park to create the Giants — in their round 12 victory against Harcourt, scoring 45 goals as their win helped the team eventually secure an emotional finals berth.
The gig will be Carroll’s first as a coach, but she is excited about the prospect.
“I’m really excited. It’s great for the new amalgamation and it’s a challenge for me too,” she said.
“I haven’t coached A grade before, but I’ve been around netball for a long time. I’m looking forward to getting a good group of girls together and seeing what we can achieve.”
Carroll’s first foray into the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League (MCDFNL) came after Rovers’ 2023 coach Abbey Raven reached out.
“I know Abbey Raven through my partner, and she reached out to me and asked if I could fill in for a game when I had a bye with Heathcote. I enjoyed it, Rovers were a good group of girls and they did well, making the finals. I hope there is more of that next year,” she said.
The biggest task for Carroll in the early stages will be trying to work out how to fit a talented group of girls in each team.
Both Rovers and Royal Park were among the top echelon of teams in various grades, with Rovers in the finals in A and C grade, while Bushy made the B grade finals. The Tigers had a wealth of talent in the junior finals, eventually finishing runner-up in both 15 and under and 17 and under grand finals.
Carroll sees trying to fit everyone in as a positive, however.
“The early part will have some challenges. It will be difficult to fit six teams into three, but there is some talk of introducing a D grade, which would be handy,” she said.
“It will be tough, but it’s also a good position to be in, in the way of the teams being strong.
“Royal Park had a great junior base in particular, and it would be great if they stuck around, as the future of the club would be very strong.”
Carroll has been nothing but complimentary for the new club’s working group.
“It’s been professional. I’m from a small town, so I know what community sport and netball means to a lot of people,” she said.
“Communication-wise, the committee are working very hard to make sure it is a successful merger, and it’s been in the pipeline for a long time. It’s an honour to coach their A grade squad.
“I’ve really enjoyed my netball over the last couple of years, and I think it means you end up playing better. Having that experience and being able to play under some great coaches in the past will hopefully be beneficial and I hope to pass on some things to the girls that they can learn too.”
Carroll has seen various finals matches involving the likes of top four teams Avoca, Carisbrook, Natte Bealiba and Lexton, and an early goal for her is to put together a team that can match it on the court with the MCDFNL power-houses.
“Those teams, from what I’ve gathered, have been successful for a long time, so it’s going to be no easy feat,” she said.
“I think our expectations are to be very competitive against those sort of teams. It might take a while to gel and for our systems to start paying off, but I’m confident we can compete. I’ve watched a few of the finals and the top teams are very well-drilled.”