Player and coach of Geelong’s Men’s Premiers team, Gerard Murphy, is no stranger to Victorian netball, having been involved with the sport for over a decade.
Most recently he lead the Cougar’s Championship Bupa Victorian Netball League team to greatness with the premiership that made club history. However with that competition over, his sights are set on continuing the year of Cougars’ glory.
“For sure we are still riding our 2018 grand final high and we’re in a good position,” explains Murphy.
“Our strategy to switch between defence styles and studying up on our opponents will help us to remain as strong as we ended last season, but we will also need to lift with this seasons’ teams.
“This year I think there will be a bit of a change with eight strong men’s sides in the competition now. It will increase the challenge for us most definitely.”
Retaining 100% of the 2018 premiership team, Cougars will commence what is to be the fiercest season yet in a match against newcomers Pasifika Sharks.
Murphy says Sharks are just one of the many MLeague teams that will make their names known in 2019, especially with some of the big names expected to play.
“Junior Levi has come from Queensland and he’s almost 7-foot. He was instrumental in the Queensland open team and nationals in 2019 so he will be one of the tough new competitors.
“Other teams have reformatted and shuffled their teams too so it’s not predictable who will take it out this year.”
Describing his role with Geelong as a informal coach and part-time player, Murphy believes the team dynamic of Cougars can only be described in one word… “animated”.
“We had a good year last year and our team came together well. We started to form some great relationships and found some good combos that we can’t wait to bring out again this season.
“Our starting defender Alastair Punshon has got the biggest jump in the competition I think! He’s dynamite in getting intercepts out of defence and is kind of like the Shamera Sterling equivalent of Men’s you could say. He’s a dangerous one for sure.
“In the mid-court there’s Jake Noonan who is currently in the open team, as well as Jed Christian who will tear it up.
“Then in goals Brayden Pastore is our goal-attack dynamo. When he’s on he pretty much bombs shots from anywhere. He’s really difficult to match up against.”
With a diversely skilled team and a determined attitude up their sleeves, Murphy believes there’s no reason they can’t deliver an outcome as impressive as last year.
For Murphy, he sees the MLeague competition as a pathway to inspire young male athletes to get involved and create ambitions to become players in, what he calls, one of the best men’s and mixed netball competitions in Australia.
“Men’s has always been strong and mixed has come along nicely. I think we have more state league players from the women’s VNL playing in the mixed division too which has really helped amp it up and further strengthen the competition,
“For men’s it’s the depth that has changed recently. It creates a lot more excitement about it and lets people know that it’s the strongest competition to get involved with so there’s no reason not to get involved with MLeague!”
Matches for Round 1 of the Senior MLeague will start from 7pm at the State Netball and Hockey Centre Wednesday 28 August (tonight!). You can find more information here.
