Joining the club’s junior ranks at the age of 12, she has been a key contributor for the Grasshoppers for over a decade and is now determined to lead the club to some long-awaited success on the netball court.
Taking the reins from Jenni McCluskey, the 250-game veteran said she could not wait to get started.
“I am super excited but a little bit nervous as well, I have only ever coached under-11s and under-17s before so it is a little bit scary,” Milne said.
“I have been playing at Murch since I was 12 and grew up aspiring to play at A-grade level, so to now be in the position where I am the coach it is pretty bloody exciting, and I can’t wait to jump into it.”
Despite her lack of experience coaching at senior level, Milne said she was confident she would be able to adapt to the rigours of the role and bring the best out of her team.
“I’d like to create a warm, friendly and welcoming environment, I am a pretty good people person and I like to have a lot of fun and bring a lot of energy — so for me it is all about creating good vibes among the group,” she said.
“For some people sport can be a bit scary and whatnot so I just want to make everyone comfortable; Murch has always been the underdogs when it comes to netball, we’ve never won an A-grade flag; so not jumping the gun but I want to be able to build and nurture a squad that can do that.”
Murchison-Toolamba enjoyed a solid 2021 campaign, building nicely into the second half of the season to upset some of the competition’s best teams and push towards a finals berth.
Milne said she was excited to build on what the squad accomplished last season and get to work with the exciting young group.
“At the start (of last season) we weren’t too sure how we’d go, nobody had really played with each other before but in the end we gelled really well towards the back end of the season and really challenged the better sides,” she said.
“Our pre-season training last year was pretty good so I probably won’t be looking to change too much, getting together early and ramping up our fitness are areas I will be trying to focus on as we just continue to grow as an exciting young team.”
Looking ahead, Milne outlined some of her hopes for next season, as she continues to strive towards bringing that elusive netball premiership to Murchison-Toolamba.
“I would just love to create a new environment for the netball club; I have heard through the grapevine we may have a few new faces coming on board next season so that just shows how much we have grown as a club in that people want to come and play for us,” she said.
“I have never won a netball premiership in my life, so to just even make the finals would be unreal — but having seven to 10 girls I can lead, and coach is a huge blessing and I am extremely driven to bring success to the club.”
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