Beck O'Connell catches up with Jindera coach Courtney Katalinic.
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BO'C: Congratulations on making it to the grand final, you must be pretty happy.
CK: I coached last year and we had a strong team but we had a few things going on, whereas this year the squad felt quite set. I knew the seven girls I selected were four quarter quality A-graders who deserved to be on court for a full game. It was a bit hard when Laura (Anthony) went down and broke her arm and then I went down. From round one the vibe was there. We're all united and the best of friends on court, so I think that really reflects on how our season has gone.
BO'C: The whole club must be really excited.
CK: Yeah we had three new coaches and 15 new girls this season. Even though it was almost like starting fresh, it wasn't. It was like they had been around the club for years. We're really lucky to have depth. Everyone just wants to get around each other and get a win for the club. That's one thing that Jindera does really well, everyone is always there for everyone.
ALSO IN SPORT:
BO'C: What advice have you given the girls heading in?
CK: I think we learnt a lot from the loss to Crows. We went out there with a lot of nervous finals energy and it was very apparent to everyone. We chose a good game to do it because we had the second chance and we learnt from it. Getting to a grand final is an achievement on its own. Obviously everyone wants to win, but we just have to remember we've been solid all season, fought hard and deserve to be there. I want everyone to walk off court, win or lose, hugging, smiling and getting around each other.
BO'C: What do you think a key different between you and Crows will be?
CK: We'll be focusing on our start. We know we don't do well if a team gets a jump on us. We have the depth to make some changes if we need to. We know they had phenomenal defensive pressure two weeks ago and possession is a huge thing for us. Crows have a massive following, so we just need to support each other to help us over the line.
BO'C: The club had some great outcomes at the league medal in netball, who were some of the winners?
CK: Sarah Van Den Heuvel is phenomenal. I'm glad I don't play against her. Lisa Haynes has been a fighter over the years and probably hadn't had much recognition, so to get B-grade runner up was beautiful to see. Katelyn Donney played the first six rounds in B-grades, so to take out C-grade shows how much of a superstar she is. Lexie (Clements) has come a long way as well. Montana (Kerr) was 26 votes ahead in the under-16's, so I'm excited to see where she's going to be when she hits open.