Metro Jets Newsletter – Winter 2022
Hi Jetsetters,
A big well done to all 19 of our Jets teams on their efforts so far this Winter Season. With three games remaining in the AMND minor rounds, the Club already has almost two thirds of our teams locked in to play winter finals (a very positive result), so we encourage all our Jets to keep working hard and finish the season off strong.
Over the next two months, the Club faces its busiest time of the year, with Winter Season Finals and Presentations; Summer Trials and Season commencement; PL Presentation Night, PL Accreditation and 2023 PL Trials; and our Club AGM being held at the end of this month. So, please make sure you have all these important dates in your diaries. Whilst on the AGM, we encourage you to please consider attending and nominating for a role within the Club. Our Club is still run by too few volunteers & we’re in need of more help. So please consider supporting your Club & contact our Secretary for further information.
With Season 2022 near the end, I wanted to highlight a few positive achievements by our Metro Jets family:
- Our Club released a new playing uniform across the board, a current/elite SSN dress design.
- The dress includes the ‘Seven Sisters’ Indigenous story designed by Andrew McLeod last year.
- The Club recruited 8 new Jets Coaches; 2 were PL Players who Coached our A Grade & Junior 1 sides.
- We had 4x State Reps: Krystal Collins (17’s); Monet Lyle & Poppy Gilfillan-Silk (19’s); Jemma Kelly (15’s).
- We had 2x Australian side selections: Poppy Gilfillan-Silk (19’s); Jemma Kelly (15’s).
- We have 1x ANC Southern Force Rep: Poppy Gilfillan-Silk.
- We appointed a Coaching Mentor to assist Club Coaches with training sessions & development
- The Club is currently delivering our Net Set Go Program at Netball SA Stadium.
- The Club is currently promoting our Summer Academy Development Program for Jets Junior, Sub Junior & Primary age groups.
A big thank you to our Committee, Coaches, Officials & Players for continually representing our Club with professionalism, respect & positive attitudes. Your dedication & commitment is outstanding!
Lastly, to all the businesses & families who have generously supported Metro Jets with sponsorship throughout 2022. The Club couldn’t continue to promote the development of our players, Coaches and Officials, without you, so Jets please get behind these businesses wherever possible.
Jets Up!
Rachael McLeod
Club Sponsors
A very big thank you to all our Sponsors for 2022. We appreciate each and every one of our sponsors, and we ask our Jets members, where possible, to please consider supporting these businesses in return, and make sure you let them know you’re from Metro Jets. Our sponsors are what allow us to keep playing the game we love!
Further sponsor information can be found on our Club website and social media avenues.
Apparel Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
SILVER Sponsor
SILVER Sponsor
Premier League News
Hi Jetsters, Coach Trudy here,
It’s been another bumpy road in 2022 for our Premier League Squad. A major challenge for us this season has been the lack of availability of players through illnesses and Covid being rife throughout our squad, this has affected our ability to play our best possible team each week. On the positive, it has given us a chance to look at our squad’s depth and really highlighted areas we need to focus on collectively as a group moving forward. In the first half of the season, I felt we were competitive against the top teams and challenged them for long periods during matches only to fall away where some of the margins didn’t truly reflect the effort our players showed. To only come away with three wins for the year is definitely disappointing however we were able to learn more about what it takes to match it with the best in the comp. Congratulations to Tanaye Nolan, Rebecca Taheny, Krystal Collins, Molly Scott, Jemma Kelly, and Jess Cuppleditch for making their Premier League debut this season.
A huge highlight this season was welcoming back some key players. Having the Affolter sister – Lucy (Hood) and Molly (Scott) playing together for the first time was fantastic and a memory they will share for life. Welcoming back Alice Gerlach (our newly appointed club Captain) and watching her notch up a personal milestone of 150 Premier league games is very impressive. This is a massive achievement that not many players will ever achieve. A BIG congratulations and well deserved for all her hard work on and off the court.
I would like to recognise a couple of our young future stars for their individual achievements this season:
- Poppy Gilfillan Silk for making under 19s State team and selected in the u19 Australian squad after her national campaign. Poppy was also named in the Southern Force team.
- Monet Lyle for her dedication and hard work at the club over the year that was a last- minute call-up to represent under 19 State team
- Another exciting and talented young Defender being awarded u17 state selection Krystal Collins
- And the most exciting thing to come out of this season was our youngest member of the team Jemma Kelly being still a top-age junior player being elevator to play reserves this season. To be able to play both ends of the court provides any coach great flexibility. She was named in the under 17‘s as a Reserve player and then selected in u15 Schoolgirl State team and being the only player from SA to be named in the All Australian squad after an exceptional National campaign.
Many thanks to Jessica Cuppleditch best known Cuppy, for her commitment to the team in her final season. We wish her all the very best in her retirement after hanging up her Metro Jets Netball Dress. Cuppy has been a joy to coach we all watched her play incredible netball this season with added Cuppy flair.
We now look at plaining for next season looking to re-signed players for next year and most definitely on the recruitment drive for 2023.
Trudy Barker – Premier League Head Coach MJNC
Season Update
Our AMND team have been training and playing hard this season. Many of our teams are competing for final spots in each age group, and our sub primary teams competed brilliantly. We’ve welcomed Julie Wakefield (ex-reserves coach) out to mentor and support our coaches, and everyone really enjoyed our night with our Premier League buddies. We are finishing off strong and have commenced our NetSetGo program to assist in introducing young players to our every growing club. Good luck to all our teams that are playing in finals. Please get around your fellow Jets and support them in their path to the GF. Go Jets!
Special mention to Jessica Bais, Suraya Lyle, Jade Burnett and Elouise Bradley who were selected in the Thunderbirds Academy Team. Congratulations to all the players selected in the SAPSASA competition, which included Sienna Dercho, Jaidah French, Grace Spiby and Evie Marrett. We also congratulate umpires: Lisa Cawdron-White for being selected for the Premier League Umpiring Squad; and Leah Dunn for her selection in the Talent Identified Umpiring Squad.
Umpire News
A huge shout out to all our wonderful umpires. Without you we couldn’t play netball. So a really big thanks to all of you. We also want to acknowledge our awesome Umpire Coordinators Caitlin and Leah who have managed to juggle this job with patience and a smile. Congratulations to our umpires who achieved their Nations C Badge this season:
- Emily Bradley
- Molly Farmer
- Jamie Rowe
- Kasey Bottrill
- Lara Mellow
NAME: Alice Gerlach (Al)
AGE: 33 eek
FAVOURITE NETBALL POSITION: C
WHAT DO YOU FOR WORK/STUDY?
I’m an Exercise Physiologist and work as a Senior Rehab Consultant assisting people with either prevention of injuries or recovery from them.
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED AT METRO JETS? WHAT DIVISION DID YOU PLAY?
It took me too long to find this Club. I started at Metro Jets when I was 29, playing Premier League.
WHY DO YOU PLAY FOR METRO JETS?
MJNC is inclusive and full of wonderful people. It is the youngest club in the Premier League competition but despite this it is professional and focuses on the development of all players, providing great opportunities to those wanting to improve their netball skills and follow Elite Pathways no matter where they’ve come from. I play for MJNC because I like being competitive, being around a great group of girls (that quickly become like sisters) and of course to be fit and healthy.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A PLAYER:
Well, if you ask my teammates, they’d say I’m like a Grey Hound – fit, good work rate, tenacious.
WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR NETBALL?
My parents , Khao Watts, and my husband!
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JETS NETBALL ACHIEVEMENT/MEMORY?
To be honest, I’ve loved every minute at MJNC – our preseason camp was pretty fun this year (2022), it was a long day but we had an amazing race around the city. .
OTHER THAN PLAYING, WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN AT METRO JETS?
When I wasn’t playing – for the birth of my second child, I was able to take part in some coaching. As part of my role this year I have helped to organise different fundraising functions for the team and team bonding sessions also.
NAME 3 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT YOU WOULD INVITE FOR DINNER?
My initial thought was easy, my husband, son and daughter, but then I thought: Kobe Bryant, Jack Johnson, Tina Arena
SOMETHING YOUR COACH SAYS REGULARLY?
“Love” Hey, how are you “love”, Yeah, I know “Love”, Thanks “Love”.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER-POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Invisibility. With 2 kids, I’d love to sneak to the loo or have a shower without them knowing!
WHICH OF YOUR TEAM MATES IS THE FUNNIEST?
Hmm, I’m going to have to say Cuppy or Sarah or even Mads -her snap chats are classic!
WHICH OF YOUR TEAM MATES TAKES THE MOST SELFIES?
As above!
WHICH OF YOUR TEAM MATES TRAINS THE HARDEST IN THE GYM?
Rhi – have you seen her Barbell Hip Thrust??
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHICH THREE TEAMMATES WOULD YOU TAKE AND WHY?.
Cuppy – she seems to know a bit about everything; Rhi – as she’s a nurse so surely she’d know what to do if we were injured; and Lucy – she’s a Mum too, I feel like we’re on the same page with a lot of things.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-GAME RITUALS SUPERSTITIONS?
I always need to shower and brush my teeth before a game. I always wear 2 pairs of socks and a ribbon in my hair, and lip balm on the bench is a big one for me!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PRE-GAME SONG?
Anything with a good beat or catchy lyrics – something like Memories by Kid Cudi, Only girl in the world by Rihanna, or Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore
WHAT DO YOU EAT LEADING UP TO A GAME?
Homemade chicken stir-fry with lots of veges or homemade kaleslaw with lamb chops and potato gems.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT PLAYING FOR METRO JETS? My
Teammates!
IF YOU WERE TO GIVE SOME ADVICE TO JETS YOUNGSTERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Good better best, never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is your best. Also, try to minimise your self- doubt, don’t let the fear of failure keep you from playing you best game!
Metro Jets Academy Program – Summer 2022-23
We are very excited to announce that the Metro Jets are now delivering our Summer Academy Programs again this summer and will now include the primary age group. This is a new concept and we look forward to engaging with our primary division teams this season. The top 2 teams will be invited to participate in the program which will be managed by our Premier League Coach and Players along with fitness and nutritional experts.
We look forward to seeing all our Jets Academy players learning, developing, and working hard throughout the upcoming Summer Season.
Good News Stories
The Club is always keen to celebrate positive news stories about our Club Members. If you have a celebration to share, please email our Club Secretary, or share your news with the Club via our social media sites.
Umpiring
If you’re interested in umpiring and sup¬porting our Club, we would love to have you on board. Metro Jets are required to provide an umpire for every game that we participate in, so we need your help.
Please contact our Umpiring Coordinator, Caitlin North at metrojetsumpiring@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to know more about the process and support offered within our Umpiring Program.
Club Support
We need your help! Metro Jets Netball Club is run by volunteers of our Jets community, and despite the amazing selfless efforts of these people, our young, growing Clubs still needs assistance.
Do you have any skills that the Club could utilise? Could you offer some time to assist with events?
If so, please contact Club Secretary Katrina Wood at secretarymetrojets@gmail.com
Coaches
If you are interested in Coaching and/or progressing your skills, we would love to meet with you. Metro Jets is now considering its Coaches for the upcoming Winter Season and we are looking for support from people who want to help make a difference!
If you are interested in Coaching during Winter 2022, please email secretarymetrojets@gmail.com