The Geelong Cougars are excited to announce their 19&Under line up for the 2020 Victorian Netball League season. This includes the appointment of Damian Stephenson as the Geelong Cougars 19&Under team coach.
“I’ve been a big fan of the Cougars for years. As part of the Geelong mixed netball team, we had a great relationship with the Cougars when preparing for the National Championships. I know that it’s a great honour to be part of the club and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to join such an exceptional coaching team and get to work with such talented netballers.”
“I love coaching junior players. In some ways they don’t yet realise their full potential, and playing a role in helping to unlock this over the course of a season is really exciting.”
Gerard Murphy, Geelong Cougars Head Coach is thrilled with the new appointment. “We have further strengthened our coaching group for 2020 with the addition of Damian Stephenson taking on the 19&Under team coach role. Damian brings experience as a state player and successful coach, most recently with Modewarre Football Netball Club. In addition to his netball knowledge, he is completing his Masters in Education and brings a breadth of people and management skills including critical thinking, analysis and communication which will position him well for success.”
As part of the Geelong Cougars mentoring program Gerard Murphy, Mel Savage and Rebecca Faulmann will provide coaching support to facilitate a smooth transition and enable accelerated development for both Damian and the 19&Under players.
Stephenson reflects “I’m really looking forward to being part of a high-performance netball culture. I want to help young players develop and play their best netball and to ensure they have fun doing it. Creating a positive and supportive team culture is really important, so that will be my main focus early on.”
19& TEAM
The twelve-strong player line up combines raw talent with experience. Six players from the 2019 list will return to the fold, while six players will make their debut with Geelong Cougars in 2020.
Eliza Cahill
Poppy Douglass
Lily Eldridge
Kiahna Fallon
Remi Hooper
Darcy McFarlane
Madison Selmon
Emma Stacey
Olivia Taylor
Charlotte Todd
Zara Walters
Brooke Wilson
In addition to the team of 12, an extended squad and training partners will be announced soon.
