Having finished in seventh place our Southern Force team which has the youngest average age in the league of 19.5 years, will not be proceeding through to the finals.
However, there was a lot of promising results coming out of this DUANL season for our pathway athletes with them developing their craft significantly over the seven-round season.
“All our players developed a great deal and now have a greater appreciation for what it takes to be able to play at the next level and they are prepared to do the work.”
Goaler Lucy Austin and defender Jordan Vivian were two athletes that stood out to Lines as most improved.
“Lucy worked incredibly hard on her fitness and is learning her craft as a mobile tall goal attack with great accuracy.
“Jordan also worked hard on her defensive game and for someone who has transferred from one end of the court to the other in the last three years, has improved exceptionally to be very effective against some seasoned tall goal shooters.”
From the fourteen matches played, the team had four wins and six of their losses were decided by less than five goals. Two of those wins and a one-goal loss were against three of the top teams that are through to the finals. Being competitive against these top teams, show exciting times are ahead for netball in South Australia.
“We all should be excited about our pathway athletes and what they have the potential to achieve in the future,” Lines said.
“They are very focussed on what they want to achieve and have shown great resilience against tough opposition and an enormous willingness to learn and develop their games.”
With Victorian Fury, NSW Waratahs, Tasmanian Magpies and the Canberra Giants through the finals, Lines believes that all teams have the ability to win the competition. However, he’s tipping Fury to take home the silverware this year with their senior playing group.
For more information about the finals, or to view the all DUANL results click here.
