WEDDERBURN is the juggernaut of the North Central netball scene. 
Last season the Redbacks won their 30th A Grade premiership in 70 years, an unparalleled record of success in the region.
Premiership coach Emma Lockhart, who also played centre in the win, has given way to the vastly experienced Susie Lockhart, who is a legend of Wedderburn sporting scene, as well as Emma’s second cousin.
Lockhart will be assisted by another second cousin Aliza Lockhart in coaching A Grade, and the two will swap roles with B Grade.
(You may sense a theme here - five Lockharts played in the 2024 A Grade premiership, and two played in the B Grade side which also took out the title.)
Emma is having a baby, as is teammate and former coach Meg Lockhart, but Susie is loath to rule them out from playing this year. She said their experience would be missed but she was confident others would step up.
Aliza is expected to make her return from an ACL injury during the season, likely in June which marks 12 months since she went down.
The Redbacks have recruited well — again, keeping it in the family.
Kelsey Pallpratt, sister of Zach and Jake Pallpratt, joins from Sandhurst, where she played mid-court in the A Grade team.
And Paige Ryan, Zach Palpratt’s partner, has also made the move from the Bendigo league to Wedderburn.
“She’s a little pocket rocket,” the coach said.
Lockhart’s deliberate policy is to enhance Wedderburn’s reputation as a genuine and welcoming  family club.

Kelsey Pallpratt’s move from playing A Grade with Sandhurst in the strong Bendigo netball league makes her a key acquisition for Wedderburn.
Further strengthening of the Redbacks mid-court is scarcely required, but her arrival adds to an already potent lineup.
Coach Susie Lockhart said Pallpratt could be used in mid-court and as a goaler, with her versatility one of her strengths.
In 2023, Pallpratt was runner-up in the Sandhurst A Reserve best-and-fairest, one vote ahead of Paige Ryan, who joins the Redbacks with her for 2025.
She also played for Benalla, where she grew up, finishing second in the Saints’ A Grade best-and-fairest award in 2022.
Kelsey is the sister of Zach and Jake Pallpratt, who have joined Wedderburn’s senior football ranks for this season.
Maddi Postle came back to the club last season after the birth of her third child, Clancey.
After two seasons out of the game, she duly took out best-on-court in her first match back, and at the end of the year was named the Redbacks’ A Grade best-and-fairest for the fourth time.
Remarkably, it was the ninth time she has won or finished runner-up in the award.That tells you something about her talent and her propensity for hard work.
Lockhart has rewarded her with the A Grade captaincy for 2025.
Postle spent last pre-season dragging herself up Tower Hill to build her fitness for her netball duties. She brought along her husband, Adam, himself an enduring legend with the Wedderburn senior football team, and the three children.
The couple’s commitment to the Redbacks’ cause is undeniable – this season they are also acting as Auskick coordinators for the club.