Hugo to coach The Rock-Yerong Creek A grade in 2024 after returning to club this season

Hugo was approached mid-season and asked to consider taking on the position, and said she's looking forward to a new challenge.

Thoroughly enjoying her first season back at the club, the 2017 and 2019 premiership player said it felt like coming home.

"I was thinking of retiring [this year] but then it really wasn't for me, and I've always loved my time at The Rock, so it was just the best fit for me to go back there," Hugo said.

"I loved it, it was like coming home, it was a good year with the girls that were there before and getting to know the girls that weren't there."

While she's coached basketball and junior netball sides previously, Hugo said this will be her first time in charge of an A grade squad.

"It should be exciting," she said.

"A couple of the girls approached me about halfway through the season and put out some feelers to see if I would be interested, gave me plenty of time to think about it.

"I was going to stay, so helping out and being a part of something that might be pretty special appealed to me."

Hoping to see the club climbing back up the Farrer League ladder, Hugo is looking forward to working with the side that's stuck with the club.

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"[I'm looking forward] to being part of helping the girls rebuild, the girls that have been there for the past three years have really put in some hard years, and they've really been there for the long haul," she said.

"Helping the girls get stronger and helping the club out appeals to me."

Taking a leadership role on through the 2023 season, Hugo said the group is extremely coachable, eager to learn, and there's no deficit of talent in the side.

"They've just been a really fun team to be a part of this year," she said.

"There's a couple of young girls Chloe Aiken and Emily Nixon won our best and fairest and runner up, they're both really young and have got a lot of potential, so really hoping to help them build on their game next year.

"All the other girls are really eager to listen, I played a bit of a leadership role this year, and they're all really eager to learn, ask lots of questions, respond to any instructions."

Knowing it's been a rough few years for the A grade side, Hugo said the way the group presents themselves should be commended.

"It definitely hasn't been easy for them but the fact that they still turn up every week, they turn up to training and they still are so eager to be better," she said.

"To hold on to that after the years that they've had is massive and they're all around each other, they're around the boys, it was just a really nice place to be this year."

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