New Bathurst Netball Association president Kirsty Ridley has praised the talent that has been on offer this season, ahead of Saturday’s Bathurst Netball Association A grade grand final between Panthers A and Bulldogs Verdelho.
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She said the future of Bathurst netball is in a solid position, as the sport continues to grow while other sports stay stable.
“The talent has been amazing,” she said.
“There’s a lot of young talent going around the moment, especially at Panthers, Collegians and Bulldogs.
“There is a big growth of talent in this region and Bathurst is bucking the trend in the Central West.
“We have Olivia Johnston. She’s an amazing talent with Bulldogs. You’ve got Carina Floyd, who’s a bit older but is still doing strong. You’ve also got Ella Welsh, who is such a talented, little centre for Panthers.”
Heading into Saturday’s grand final, Ridley was originally leaning towards Bulldogs to win but that changed after their close win against Collegians in the preliminary final.
“It was a close game between the two,” she said.
“I think come Saturday, the result could go either way. I think they’ll be only two points in it.
“Defence is the key to Bulldogs and the centre court is were Panthers shine.”
Ridley said she did not expect the season to be so tight.
She was elected as the new Bathurst Netball Association president on Wednesday night, at the AGM.