Both coaches bring a wealth of experience and talent to the team, having excelled in their own netball careers before taking on the role of coach.
Elle Stevens grew up in Wangaratta and played junior netball around town before moving on to compete at a higher level with the Wangaratta Magpies. During her time with the Magpies, she won three premierships. She then joined the Rutherglen Cats, where she played in A grade and won a Best and Fairest award. After moving around for work and starting a family, Elle took a five-year break from netball before deciding to make a comeback in a playing/coaching role.
Tiarnie Lumby also has a strong netball background. She grew up in Corowa and played all her junior netball there before moving on to compete at the senior level with Wahgunyah. She then made the move to Rutherglen and played for six years, making it to finals multiple times. After starting a family, Tiarnie decided to follow her partner's family to Billabong Crows, but her playing time was reduced due to injury. After taking a year off, she is now making a comeback in a playing/coaching role.
Rutherglen Cats president Pat Beattie said the club couldn’t be happier with the appointment of Elle and Tiarnie.
“Finding coaches proved to be really difficult this year and I know that’s a similar story coming from chatting to other clubs in the area,” Beattie said.
“We signed Bridget McAnanly on in early 2022 as the senior coach and she gave it her all through her pregnancy, but she was at the point where she couldn’t continue this year. We are thankful for the hard work she put into our club.
“Elle and Tiarnie came onto our radar quite late, but they were exactly the type of people we were looking for.
“They are tied up with the club and the community and it’s a great fit. Like the football, we’ve gone back to looking internally in the club rather than externally.
“The first thing they both said was that they wanted to develop the skill set that we have within the club first and foremost rather than recruiting from outside the club.
“Both Elle and Tiarnie are excited to pass on their passion and knowledge of the game to the senor teams.
“The Rutherglen Cats are looking forward to a successful season with these two talented coaches at the helm.”
On the football field, Duane Maloney and Jakeb Meyer were named as co-coaches of the seniors late last year.
“Both Duane and Jakeb are heavily involved in the club and strong community-minded people,” Beattie said.
“Duanne has coached almost every grade, and this is his outstanding one. He’s a fabulous club man along with his partner Nicole. Last year he was one of the greatest assets to our club. We are thrilled to have such a strong leadership team heading into season 2023.”
10°C