ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder.
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It's a major reason why Claudia Barton decided to coach Coolamon's netball team next year after the Hoppers elected not to play in this year's AFL Riverina Championship.
The defender guided Coolamon to last year's Riverina League preliminary final. After watching this year's top two Wagga Tigers and Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes do battle recently, a return to court was too hard to resist.
"I went to one of the games a few weeks ago with some of the girls and we all realised how much we've missed it. I decided to go one more year and see how it pans out," she said.
"I don't know how I was feeling (beforehand) to be honest. Obviously I love netball and I'm very competitive, so that's always in the back of my mind.
"At the start of the season I may have thought 'this could be it', but the longer the year went on the longer you want to go back and be filling your weekends with sport.
"The club is great and I don't think I would have looked anywhere else. The club spirit is what keeps you there, as well as the games."
Barton is hopeful the majority of the squad will remain intact for next year, and said sitting out the season has been tough on everyone.
"It (other netball competitions) isn't the same, they're definitely missing it," she said.
"We still have our group chats but they do miss playing together and playing in that competition.
"We have a closely knit team of girls so it made it a bit more desirable than in town netball.
"It depends on study and things like that, but hopefully most of them come back."
"It will be weird going back playing netball, it's the first year I've had off so it's very strange for me."
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