Reigning Ovens and Murray netball 17 and under premiership coach Stacey 'Mina' Lamb has been appointed Wangaratta Rovers A grade coach.
Lamb took the Rovers to the O&M 17 and under grand final for the last two years, taking the cup this season.
She will stay on as coach of the 17s, as well as the Hawks A grade side, taking over from outgoing coach Gracie Reid.
Lamb said she was grateful for what netball has afforded her, first as a player and now as a coach, and hopes to allow others to have the same wonderful experiences and learnings.
"I have been involved at Wangaratta Rovers as a player and coach for over 15 years and am a proud life member," she said.
Latest Stories
"The timing is right for me to take on the head coach role and I am super excited to lead this wonderful club.
"We are spring boarding with the energy of two premierships, one in the 17 and under and one in C grade, and have exceptionally talented juniors coming through our club."
Lamb first took up coaching after an ACL injury as a player put her on the sidelines for a year and fell in love with the role.
"I continued to play for as long as I could but eventually that had to end and I have continued to take on jobs, learn and educate myself on the game," she said.
"I love the challenge of coaching and have really immersed myself in pathway coaching."
In fact, it would be hard to find someone more immersed in netball coaching.
Apart from her Rovers duties, Lamb coached representative netball, was a Talent Academy coach for Netball Victoria's pathway, and coached in Melbourne in the Victorian Netball League, coaching two Melbourne Vixen training partners, and completing her Advanced Coaching Accreditation through Netball Victoria.
It will take that experience, passion and continued growth for Lamb to take the Hawks to the top level in A grade in the highly competitive Ovens and Murray league.
"It is really hard to recruit A grade players, so we have set it as our goal at Rovers to make senior players," she said.
"We have had a very strong junior program for a while now and I wanted to coach both A grade and under 17s to continue the development and pathway to senior netball.
"We are well on our way to do that with Amelia Sharp and Holly McCarthy stepping in the A grade team last year.
"We also had Milla Schubert and Sophia Pasquali debut.
"We have Lily Lyster and Holly McCarthy in the Netball Victoria state squads, and Lily Palmer and Lainey Draper are O&M league medallists.
"Retention is key and I'll be working hard to keep the whole playing group together, top up with some new recruits, as well as getting players back to the club that have left in recent years."
Anyone who has witnessed Lamb and her young charges in action can vouch for one of her priorities in netball, and that is to enjoy it.
"Netball needs to be fun as we commit so much time to it as a hobby," she said.
"I am a teacher by trade so I am also really committed to players learning as much as they can about the game and in doing so develop as players and people.
"I love players who work hard, can think, adapt, adjust on court and have a lot of fun doing it.
"As a netball club we will continue to be a positive and safe place for young women to be the best they can be on and off the court.
"We will work hard in preseason to develop whole club netball attacking and defensive strategies that will build on the strengths of the players we have."
Lamb paid tribute to the coaches who had and continue to share their knowledge and thoughts with her as she strives to improve even further.
"I have had some wonderful coaching mentors who have inspired, supported and continue to teach me many things," she said
"Julie Hoornweg, former Melbourne Vixen head coach, is a wonderful friend of mine.
"She continues to come to our training and games and shares her knowledge.
"I have many friends who are head coaches in the Ovens and Murray and other leagues who I coach representative netball with.
"Coaching can be a lonely sport so it is important to have a strong network of people who support and understand."
Next year Lamb will continue on as assistant coach of the VNL Western Warriors championship team, along with her Rovers duties.
The 2026 Hawks coaching roster:
A grade Stacey Lamb;
B grade Caitlyn Grant and Perri McCarthy;
C grade Deb Doyle;
17s Stacey Lamb;
15s Ellie Miller.
