Over the past two years, Tracey Brereton has been busy piecing together what is almost the finished article at Victorian Netball League club Bendigo Strikers.
She’s close, but not quite there yet — and that’s why Brereton is coming back for more.
The Nathalia product has committed to another year as Strikers’ head coach in the championship division, extending her contract for the 2026 campaign.
It’s been two years since the Bendigo franchise was born and as she’s been along for the entire journey, Brereton said the choice to return for another year was fairly easy despite the hefty travel commitments.
“It’s pretty easy (to re-sign) in that regard, but not travel-wise; it’s still a lot of kilometres on the road,” she said.
“The first year we came in the competition, we finished sixth and just missed finals.
“Then the second year we make finals and we win a final.
“We’ve just been building and building and I guess it’s hard to walk away from something like that, isn’t it?”
Brereton entered the Strikers fold after 16 years coaching Shepparton in Goulburn Valley League.
A sixth-place finish during the inaugural 2024 campaign saw the Strikers miss out on finals by a place, and in the sophomore season, Brereton led the side one better.
The Strikers ended up fifth with a 12-6 record, beating Casey by a goal in the first knockout round before bowing out to Boroondara Express 61-49 in the semis.
“To win a final? That took my breath away a little bit,” she said.
“Even though you have a group of players who are experienced finals campaigners in their own country league, it’s very different to going down there and executing.
“We won our first final and, to be honest, we were right in the hunt with the second one — we couldn’t quite get it done on the night.
“It’s been an amazing achievement by the franchise in their second year.”
Helming the Strikers, Brereton has had the luxury of selecting from a wide talent pool in northern Victoria.
And a large base of that hails from the Goulburn Valley.
“From 23s there’s a number of girls; Asha Gray, Elsie Boyer, Mackenzie O’Dwyer and even Abby Larkin from the Murray league,” Brereton said.
“And then in champs, you’ve had Zoe Davies who played a bit in the GV League, you’ve had Teal Hocking.
“The talented netballers in this region all the way from Bendigo, through the GV right up to Ovens and Murray, we’ve got a really good capture pool of players we can draw from.”
While the curtain has dropped on both Strikers outfits’ seasons, the same could be said for a select few GVL products in the crucial stages.
Seymour’s Sarah Szczykulski and Casey Adamson lined up for Boroondara Express on Wednesday night in a preliminary bout, losing by six goals to City West Falcons in the championship division.
Meanwhile, in the 23-and-under bracket, Mooroopna’s Dayna Williams will feature in the grand final against Geelong Cougars after her Melbourne University Lightning bested North East Blaze 64-46.
In other news, Netball Victoria has announced a list of the state’s top 100 players in the 17-and-under and 19-and-under age groups.
Both squads will be whittled down to teams of 12 in preparation for the 2026 National Netball Championships, with a few talents from the wider region among the preliminary pool.
At the 17-and-under level, Addison Orr (Echuca) and Maisee Pell (Mulwala) will look to stake their claim for state selection alongside 19-and-under athletes Rose Byrne (Echuca) and Paige Cooper (Seymour).
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