By Tara Murray
Things are starting to come together for Werribee Centrals in the Geelong and District Netball League competition.
After a slow start, the Centurions are now sitting just outside the top five after nine rounds with a 5-4 record.
Centurions’ Ellie Tubbs said they were happy with how things were tracking along.
“We’re finding a really good pace at the moment,” she said. “We’re doing a really great job of bonding and supporting each other and putting four quarters together.
“It’s been really good and we’ve been building each week.”
The Centurions side this season is a real mix of youth and experience as they continue to bring players through the ranks.
Tubbs, who has returned to the court after having a baby, said it was nice to see players coming through the ranks.
“We’ve got someone like Natasha [Dimkovski] who has played 150 games and is still fairly young,” she said.
“There’s still a lot of youth with experience and it’s good to see them take the step up and be those leaders.
“Alual Garang has just turned 20 herself and is coaching the under-19s and has those under-19 premierships and a couple of A-grade premiership.
“We have a bunch of good characters that pull together and play great netball.”
Another who has stepped up into the A-grade side is Julia Nash, who had been part of their B-grade side and played more than 200 games for the club.
Nash, who is also a handy footballer for the Centurions, is forming a strong combination with Garang.
On Saturday, the Centurions got the job down against Bannockburn, 47-30.
“They took it to us,” Tubbs said. “We had a lot of rotations and the players on the court did a good job.
“Julia and Alual in defence were the backbone of the team. Our transition down court was good, we just need to make sure we are rewarding them in the goaling circle.”
Jacinta Savoury finished with 20 goals for the Centurions as they used four different shooters.
Now in a good position after nine rounds, Tubbs said they were keen on getting back into finals.
“We knew it would take a little bit of time to find that pace to get back into the top five,” she said.
“The league is strong.”
Tubbs said across the club the netball program continues to grow.
She said they remained focused on not looking to bring players into the club but seeing the development within.
Their B-grade, C-grade, D-grade and under-19s are all in finals contention as well.
“We’ve got eight sides this year,” she said. “It is exciting and it’s good down there.”
In the football, Werribee Centrals beat Bannockburn, 15.17 (107)-13.13 (90).
Liam Robinson, Michael Culliver and Regan Vesty were named the Centurions best.
The Centurions sit seventh on the ladder, a game outside the top five.
