INGLEWOOD is expected to again have a full list of netball sides in the Loddon Valley competitions.
Last season was a difficult one for the Woodies in the senior grades.
A Grade and B Grade both finished at the bottom of their respective ladders, with a solitary win to the B Grade side all that the two sides could muster.
There was some success at junior level with the 13-and-under team finishing an impressive third, offering hope for the future if the young players can stick together and continue to develop in the years to come.
The netball side of things for the club is in a state of turmoil as we go to press.
Abbey Hayes, who coached last season, pulled out of the role a little more than a week before the beginning of the season.
She had been re-appointed as Inglewood coach for 2025, and while she won’t now hold that position is it believed she will continue as a player.
Her continued presence is critical for the club, as she was a clear winner of the best-and-fairest award last season.
As well as losing Hayes as coach, the club lost its netball operations manager, which is clearly not an ideal situation so close to the start of competition.
However, perhaps Bears Lagoon Serpentine provides Inglewood with a template for recovery, making the finals last season after a winless 2023. Georgia Harrison was a shining light in 2024, finishing second in the best-and-fairest award in her first season with the Blues. She has returned for the coming season and played impressively in practice matches.
In an encouraging sign for the club, the A Grade team had a win over Lancaster, which plays in the Kyabram league, in a pre-season game.
The coach, a mid-court star, is clearly the Blues’ best player and was expected to lead by example as playing coach again in 2025.
Hayes is the hub around which all of Inglewood’s A Grade team revolves, but her relinquishing of the coaching position puts something of a question mark about how she will approach the season, and indeed if she will play.
Hayes streeted the field in the club B&F last season, her second in two years with Inglewood, which indicated her quality.
She took on the A Grade coaching after a season as captain in 2023, increasingly taking on a leadership role as that year went on.
Georgia Harrison is also an important player for the A Grade team as a shooter and will need to step up further in 2025 if the Woodies are to climb the ladder. 
The club’s community spirit is helping in the rejuvenation of local netball and the club.