Netball Victoria has announced the Victorian All Abilities team who will compete at the Marie Little OAM Shield – Netball Australia’s national netball championship for women with an intellectual disability.
They will be led by experienced head coach Naomi Linossier and assistant coach Emma Ryde who will team up for their third year at the helm – hoping to go one step further than 2019 where they claimed silver in the Grand Final in Brisbane.
Both Naomi and Emma have made a significant contribution to the all abilities space over a number of years. Naomi leads the all abilities program at St Leonards Netball Club and is a high school teacher at Avila College, while Emma is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Casey Netball and a training partner for Collingwood Magpies in Suncorp Super Netball.
The invaluable experience imparted by the dynamic duo will be a great asset to the new-look Victorian side this year, as the tournament stands as a platform for the athletes to develop both on and off the court as players and people in a competitive yet social environment. Injecting Emma’s high-performance knowledge into team trainings and preparations will bring a notion of confidence for the athletes and will assist their own understanding of their progression through the pathway.
After two weekends of trials, the coaches have together selected the team of 10 who will be supported by a development squad of five athletes. Head coach Naomi was thrilled to see the tournament going ahead after such a challenging year off.
"It is so exciting to see the athletes back out on court after having to pause the program due to COVID-19. It’s always disappointing to see a program postponed, so to see it back up and running is very exciting,” Linossier said.
“The talent amongst our athletes is phenomenal. We were really impressed with the way the athletes trialled – it made it really tough for us to pick just 10 to compete.
“We’re really lucky to have such great talent here in Victoria and it’s fantastic to see that on display year after year, and to have something for the athletes to strive for.
“It is really rewarding to see the athletes come to life out on the court, and to represent your state is a real honour, so to see them embrace the opportunity makes me really proud as a coach.”
The date and location of the tournament will be announced by Netball Australia in the coming weeks.
Victorian All Abilities team
Emma Daffy – Warrnambool City Netball Association
Grace Dean – Goulburn Valley All Abilities (Shepparton Netball Association)
Darcie Delahunty – St Leonards Netball Club
Sky Grace – Warrnambool City Netball Association
Bianca Lauricella - Wimmera Whippets, Taylors Lakes FNC, Hampden Football Netball League
Erin Munckton – Drouin & District Netball Association All Abilities
Rachael Potter – Ringwood North Netball Club
Annie Picak - Geelong West Giants, Geelong Netball Association
Caytlyn Sharp – N/A
Ehlana Wilkinson – N/A
Development squad
Abbey Corcoran - St Leonards
Ashlee Bradford - Warrnambool City Netball Association
Rebecca Bradford - Warrnambool City Netball Association
Holly O’Sullivan - Sandy Starlets, Sandringham District Netball Association
Philippa Allen - Doncaster All Abilities Netball
