After guiding The Rock-Yerong Creek to a drought-breaking premiership in her first season as coach, Emily O’Leary is looking to complete a double act before handing over the reins.
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Heading into her second grand final since returning to her junior club, a win over CSU on Saturday would be a perfect way to end the 22-year-old’s time at the helm.
“It would be awesome and I would love to do that for our club,” O’Leary said.
“It would be an ideal situation to go back-to-back, coaching the two years and then hand over the reins.”
Standing in her way is a resurgent Bushsows outfit.
After missing finals for the first time in years last season, CSU have been the dominant force this season.
The 2016 premiers only lost once during the season, before going down by five points against TRYC in the second semi-final.
Recovering to score a comfortable win over Temora last week, coach Kirsty Lowe believes the team learned a valuable lesson.
“We didn’t go in with hunger, didn’t go in with the fight and were a little bit complacent,” Lowe said.
“But this time around we are full of hunger.”
She didn’t think the side took advantage of the turnovers they created last time out.
Last season was a real low for the club, but with some familiar faces returning combined with some fresh faces they’ve been able to turn it all around.
“We’ve had some really great talent come this year and from past years come back so it is a real different combination of players,” Lowe said.
“New faces, old faces, we’ve come back together and really stepped up and played as a team.”
O’Leary hopes her team are coming good at the right time of the season.
The premiers got off to a slow start, but have the form on the board at the business end.
She believes the addition of Lily Wild at goal attack and Abbey Fellows in the centre from Collingullie-Glenfield Park has helped boost the team.
“It has taken us a little bit longer to come into momentum, but it is all about coming right at the right end of the season,” O’Leary said.
“I think that is really working for us.
“We had a few players overseas, some away with uni work so we didn’t really get to build as a team.
“I think finals have brought out the best in our netball and we are hungry and want it really bad.”
O’Leary won’t be lost to the club and is looking to focusing on help to develop the Magpies juniors base.
They went without an under 17s side after a junior age team was re-introduced this season and she believes it is a key part of the club’s future.
“I really want to focus on building the club up,” O’Leary said.
“I think I played 17s so it was a while ago that we had them and I really want to focus on bringing those girls through the club and build a better club.”
Lowe hopes to see a wall of red supporting CSU with their A Reserve and B Grade teams also through to the grand final.
In A Reserve CSU face Northern Jets while they tackle Barellan in B Grade.
Temora takes on TRYC in C Grade with Marrar and Temora to battle it out in under 17s.
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