Bernie Altmann 450
28/4/23 - A very exciting day for Blyth Snowtown Netball Club today - BERNIE ALTMANN PLAYS HER 450TH SENIOR GAME!
(Bernie tested positive to Covid the day before the 2023 Round 1 match, delaying her 450th for the next week, Round 2 at Mintaro!)
Bernie Altmann is back for another season and will play Round 2 of 2023 celebrating her 450th Senior Match (86 for Snowtown Netball Club and 364 for Blyth Snowtown) in our B2 team as playing coach. Despite her age, Bernie is not slowing down in the achievements area. Let’s look at her past five years playing netball in her 40s.
Bernie’s trophy cabinet continues to grow;
2018 – Club B1 R/Up B&F
2019 – Club B1 B&F
2022 – NENA B2 R/Up B&F and Club B2 B&F
Bernie’s amazing recent coaching history
2018 – B1 Premiership
2019 – B1 lost Grand Final
2021 – B1 Premiership
2022 – B1 and B2 lost Grand Final
2023 - current B1 & B2 coach
From the beginning, Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Altmann (nee Keech) has been an essential part of Blyth Snowtown Netball Club’s success on and off the court!
Bernie’s passion for netball started at the Snowtown Netball Club in 1986 at age 8. Since the age of 12, Bernie played 86 senior games for the Snowtown Netball Club which included four premierships: C2s in 1990, B2s in 1992 with her mum, A2s in 1993 with her sister Helen and A2s again in 1994. In 1995 Snowtown and Blyth netball clubs followed the football club and amalgamated to form the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club in the North Eastern Netball Association.
It seems not a season goes by without an achievement which involves Bernie. In the inaugural year (1995) of the BSNC Bernie played A2s and they went on to win the premiership. In 1996 she won joint A1 B&F with sister Helen and the following year in 1997 she won A1 R/up B&F. In 1999 Bernie was named in the NENA top 10 team of the year. In 2001 she won a premiership in B2 and R/up B&F. In 2004 Bernie was the playing coach for A1s and won R/up B&F. In 2005 she coached 15Us with Claire to a premiership. She has also coached B2s and C2s to finals over the years. 2009 was a highlight year for Bernie, she captained her team to the BSNC’s first ever A1 premiership as well as receiving the BSNC Volunteer of the Year award. She continued to play in the A1 premiership side in 2011 & 2012. 2013 proved to be another brilliant year for Bernie, she married, then captained the A1s again to their 5th consecutive premiership and to her surprise, she was named as a top 10 player in the NENA team of the year, 14 years later from her initial NENA Top 10 selection in 1999.
Very well-known in the North Eastern Netball Association, Bernie predominately plays as WD and WA with precision passing, sharp movement and extreme netball smarts. Bernie is extremely versatile, able to play anywhere in the mid court and recently filling in in the shooting circle as goalie or defender! Bernie is tenacious and competitive, and she’ll never give up until the final whistle. She’ll put her body on the line and is very reliable to pull off those freakish intercepts at the most crucial times still to this day.
Bernie has been a regular in the coaching team for years. During some tough years for our club Bernie coached the A1s in 2015 and 2016 and since then has coached in our B squad as highlighted above. Bernie also has been developing our juniors for years as her daughter Kartia moves up the ranks and it won’t be long until Kartia plays senior netball with her Mum.
From a behind the scenes perspective, in 2005 she joined the Blyth Snowtown Netball Committee and has never looked back. Not only is she a valued committee member but takes on bigger roles as well such as; in 2006 she started as Treasurer for three years, Vice President in 2009 then President in 2010 and 2011. Treasurer again in 2012, cat chat coordinator for four years, country champs delegate, NENA delegate for many years and Junior Coordinator. In 2015 she was a NENA executive as the Treasurer. Bernie is also incredibly passionate to develop not only her own umpiring skills, obtaining her C badge, but also others by mentoring and encouraging all to umpire. Also heavily involved with coaching over the years, most Saturday’s Bernie will begin at the courts in the morning and not leave until the end of the day as she’ll play, coach and umpire amongst any other duties she finds in between! The number of Cats netballers that Bernie has shared her knowledge with and look up to and admire her, no one will ever know!
Bernie’s attitude is admired by all, anything is possible, and she’ll make no excuse. Bernie’s selflessness is paramount and it’s this kind of altruism that displays her commitment to the club because she strives to make our club the best experience for every member. Bernie is a highly respected role model and mentor of the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club and it’s safe to say the club would not run as efficiently without her.
Bernie is the pinnacle of what it means to be a Cats player and club person. She continues to hold the record for most 'Blyth Snowtown' senior games.
Another historical achievement Bernie, we hope you have a brilliant game!
Written by Hayley Zweck
Cherie Stirling 350
24/8/24 CONGRATULATIONS to Cherie Stirling who plays her 350th BSNC Senior Game tomorrow.
Cherie is without a doubt, the most under rated WA in the game! Best known for her bullet passes and determination, Cherie’s leadership and netball knowledge, make her a tough opponent for anyone to stand but a dream of a teammate for anyone to be around. Her team mates can always count on Cherie to do her job every game, provide a lift when the team needs it and a laugh at interchange breaks!
Cherie has an impressive premiership cabinet to show off – captaining the B2 team to back-to-back premierships in 2002 & 2003, being an instrumental part of the B1 back-to-back premierships in 2017 & 2018 and then again in 2021, she also co-coached the C1’s to a premiership in 2019. Cherie’s favourite of all premierships was in 2018 where she was able to share the court with sister, Elise Honner.
Just as much of an asset off the court, Cherie loves to pass on her netball knowledge to those around her, currently coaching the Inter 1 team she has also coached B1’s in 2005 & 2023, B2’s in 2006, 2007 & 2015, C1’s in 2013 & 2019, J4 in 2018, J5 in 2017 & 2021 and NetSetGo in 2016. Because of the countless hours Cherie has put into coaching as well as committee commitments and Uniform Co-Ordinator for many years, Cherie was awarded the BSNC Volunteer Of The Year in 2022.
Cherie will be playing in the B1’s tomorrow at 3:00pm. Congratulations Cherie – we hope you have a ‘sick, random and loose’ win!..... just sayin!
Written by Kristin Carling
Kate Wandel 300
19/8/2017 - Kate Wandel (nee McCormack) will play her 300th game for Blyth Snowtown against BSR on August 19th. Not only is this a major personal milestone, but also a club record. Kate is the first Blyth Snowtown netballer to hit the court 300 times!
Kate grew up playing her junior and two senior years for Snowtown before the Blyth & Snowtown netball clubs amalgamated in 1995 and she has played for the Cats ever since, you do the maths! However, Kate hasn’t lived in the area for all those years, which displays her genuine commitment to our club. For 10 years Kate continued to play for Blyth Snowtown during her school days at St Marks in Pt Pirie, university in Adelaide which lead to work in Pt Pirie as Speech Pathologist. Luckily, Blyth farmer Robert Wandel kept her in the district.
Kate is a mid-courter and predominately plays centre. Kate always plays for her team and preservers for the whole four quarters. As a quiet and calm player Kate has been recognised for numerous awards. All Runner-Up Best and Fairest in respective grades; 1998 – B2, 1999 – B2, 2007 – A2, 2011 – B2. Even though she is a great contributor on the court, she has continued to be involved off the court. Over the years Kate has been coach, umpire, recorder and Cat Chat reporter for the club. She is always very happy to help out where she can.
Kate now joins elite company in the Cats history books. Rob Wandel was the first footballer to notch up 300 games a few years ago (retired on 301) and Simon McCormack played his 300th game this year, unfortunately sustaining a season (hopefully not career) ending injury. So…if Kate plays out this season (and of course her team will make finals), she’ll overtake her husband and brother with the most games played by any footballer or netballer in Cats history! Most would boast about this accolade but Kate will remain modest.
Kate is truly humble about achieving this milestone and she openly wishes that Bernie Altmann hit 300 games first (Bernie was on track to her 300th one match before Kate, but the dreaded ‘Cats curse’ achilles injury struck her down on game 298). However, everyone believes you are extremely worthy of this honour Kate, even Bernie, she’ll get there one day!
Kate has had a stellar netball career so far and still has many years of great netball left in the tank!
We hope you enjoy your 300th Cats game Kate, we know you don’t want all this attention, but you deserve the recognition and celebration.
Fun Fact – Kate’s sister-in-law is former Blyth player now North Clare Sonia Pawelski and her niece is upcoming superstar Alyssa Pawelski. We have high hopes for Kate’s 5-year-old daughter Lucy!
Written by Hayley Zweck
Cherie Stirling 300
20/8/21 - CONGRATULATIONS to Cherie Stirling who will play her 300th game for Blyth Snowtown tomorrow against Min Man! Cherie joined Blyth Snowtown in 1996 and has been an absolute power house on and off the court ever since! Most comfortable in the WA position Chez is well known for her strong bullet passes to anyone that can get behind them. She has also been known to be quite ‘loose and random’ but an absolute asset to have on your team and a difficult opponent to stand. Cherie’s team mates commend her reliability, strong sense of leadership and the ability to just be where she needs to be at all times. Cherie’s team mates know that she will be there to inspire and lift a whole team when needed with a specky intercept or amazing pass into a goalie.
This has helped Cherie win numerous premierships with the Cats including a Back to Back B2 premiership in her younger years and a Back to Back B1 premiership more recently in 2017 & 2018. Winning the 2018 premiership was extra special for Cherie getting to share it with sister Elise. Cherie’s most valued netball memories are of being on the same team as Elise, even at trials Cherie does not like being on different teams! Cherie has also had success in coaching recently, co-coaching the C1’s to a premiership in 2019.
This season Cherie is coaching the J5’s and the improvement in those little netballers each week is such a testament to Cherie’s understanding and patience. "Fun trainings with lots of games" and "she’s really nice" is the J5’s favourite things about Chez. No doubt you will have another ripper game Chezza with a few loose and random bullet passes to your team mates. Good luck and play well!
Written by Kristin Carling
Hayley Zweck 300
22/7/23 - CONGRATULATIONS to Hayley Zweck who will play her 300th game for the Cats!
Blyth Snowtown Cats key defender and all-round club contributor Hayley Zweck plays her 300th senior game - 26 years after making her senior debut as a 13 year old. Feeling old Hayz?!
Hayley played in the premiership winning 15U team in 1997 and started her collection of senior netball trophies winning the NENA 15U Best & Fairest as well as BSNC 15U Best & Fairest.
In 1998 Hayley played B1’s, then in 1999 played A2's and finished off the year taking home the A2 Best & Fairest trophy. Hayley started her A1 campaign as a 16-year-old in the year 2000. In 2003 Hayley was selected in the inaugural State League SASI squad (top 10 metro and top 5 country 19U) training and living in Adelaide but she continued to travel back and play for Blyth Snowtown A1’s that year. She has had many seasons away from Blyth Snowtown playing SA state league & reserves in Adelaide whilst studying (2004-2007) and lived in the UK in 2008, worked away (FIFO) for 3 years, suffered a torn achilles in 2015 and was pregnant during the 2016 season but has come back to top level netball with ease.
A turning point in Hayley’s netball career came from a State League coach Scott Waddington, “He really got to know me as a person and coached accordingly. He also understood my ‘casual’ playing style which I think was often misunderstood as ‘lazy’. As a coach I’ve always remembered to get to know my players first”.
Hayley returned to the Cats in 2009 and was an integral player of the A1 team including the legendary six straight A1 premierships 2009-2014. Hayley’s most memorable match/season was 2009, being part of the first A1 premiership, receiving Best On Court and “seeing the joy that the premiership brought to the club, especially the life members”.
In 2011, Hayley was selected in the NENA A grade team for Country Champs and the team unfortunately lost the Grand Final.
As a playing coach, Hayley led the 2021 A2 team to a premiership and was awarded NENA A2 Best and Fairest.
Millie Roberts’ first year in seniors demonstrated the impact that Hayley has as a team mate and coach. Millie was the Blyth Snowtown 2021 A2 Best & Fairest and said “Hayley has been one of the most influential people in my netball career, I was lucky enough to have Hayley as my A2 coach and with her amazing skills and team effort all around we were able to win the grand final. I am grateful for having the experience of working with Hayley in the ring and having her as a mentor and coach for my first year in seniors. Hayley is my defender idol, she looked out for me and took me under her wing teaching me as much as she could fit in for the period we were together. I aspire to have her skill and knowledge when I’m older and I’m so thankful for being able to have the opportunity to learn from her at such a young age”
Past coach Maggie Hentschke describes Hayley as “dynamic and agile with a consistent ability to take clean intercepts at crucial points in matches. Hayley is a very clever team player who has matured over the years and now also provides a wonderful leadership role within the team”.
Her incredible defending skills have led to many awards throughout her netball career.
NENA B&F: 15U 1997, A1 2010, A2 2021
NENA Team of The Year: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2001, 2000.
NENA Best on Court A1 Grand Final 2009
BSNC A1 B&F: 2017, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2003, 2001, 2000
BSNC A1 R/U: 2002, 2018
BSNC A2 B&F: 1999
BSNC A2 R/U: 2021
BSNC 15U B&F: 1997
Hayley has seen the development of many strong NENA goalies (and challenged many to be better) but when asked who her toughest opponents were she said “The Handke sisters! Jess Geister & Bo Mitchell! Yes, that's how old I am, because both have been married for quite some time! Jess, and I had quite a healthy rivalry, over 10 years ago now, when she was a goalie. We didn't particularly like playing each other but always brought the best out of one another. My best netball has been against Jess. I was glad to see when she made the change to defence, although still causing damage for her opposition.”
Hayley's no fuss attitude and leadership skills have also benefited BSNC off the court as Hayley has coached various junior and senior teams, has been a valuable committee member since 2011, was President 2013-2015 and has returned to the role this year, has been sponsorship coordinator since 2016, a BSNC selector for Country Champs and Academy, Cat Chat coordinator and is always willing to lend a hand and help wherever she can. Hayley was the driving force behind the new Blyth Snowtown Cats website and has spent many, many hours collating club records and information to be displayed on the website.
In recognition of her many contributions to the club, Hayley was awarded the BSNC Volunteer of the Year award in 2012.
Hayley is always keen to add to her skill set, taking opportunities to develop as a player and coach. She was assistant coach for Northern Regional Academy in 2011, has completed her coaching accreditation to Intermediate level and has shared her netball knowledge not only coaching BSNC junior and senior teams but running clinics at local schools, NSG sessions and specialised skill sessions at whole club trainings. BSNC is very lucky to have such a skilled and loyal club member in Hayley.
What keeps her coming back? “Friendships. I really enjoy meeting and getting to know our new players each season”.
Congratulations
Hayz on your vast, successful netball career so far and reaching this impressive milestone - surpassing your mum’s 283 games! Enjoy another battle against mates at BSR today, we hope there are many more to come!
Written by Tahlia Tilley.
Kerry-Lee Welke 250
26/5/18 - Another massive milestone this season at the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club. Well-respected Kerry-Lee Welke will play her 250th senior game!
Kerry-Lee (KL) has played netball for the Cats since 2001! She began her netball career a little later than most at North Clare as a teenager and received the incentive award in her first year, playing 15Us.
At the age of 19, KL and Emma Victor (now Bigg) decided to join the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club and it was also very convenient that she was in love with a Snowtown local lad, Scott Welke (now married with 3 kids). KL instantly became an integral player and volunteer of the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club taking on every role under the sun over the past 17 years and bringing much success to our club.
Kerry-Lee mostly plays in defence but has dabbled in the shooting arena if needed also. Her knowledge of the game has helped many of her teammates throughout the years with premierships gained. In 2003 she played in the B1 premiership coached by Bec Jamieson and KL was awarded runner up best & fairest for the club. 2003 was also especially memorable as her sisters Alicia and Stephanie played for the Cats and they were all involved in premierships that year! KL successfully coached her 15U team to a premiership in 2004 and also her C1 team to a premiership in 2008. For probably 50% of her playing career, Kerry-Lee has taken on the difficult task of playing coach (with amazing help from team managers, notably Kylie Williams for a few years), with most of her teams making it to finals. She takes pride in hitting the court and is vocal to get the best out of her teammates. As you could imagine KL has played with many different girls over the years but her favourites and most reliable have been her good friends; Kate Wandel, Simone Bigg and Alice Williams. KL also mentioned she learnt a great deal playing defence with Carley Darling but wasn’t overly excited that Carley ‘encouraged’ her play GD all the time! When asked who her hardest opponent has been over the last 17 years, Kerry-Lee said instantly, Shannon Noll from RSMU. Kerry-Lee's strengths on the netball court are definitely her leans over the shot and strong rebounding…and voice. KL's secret to her great performance each Saturday is her pre-match preparation - two coffees, which also happens to be her pre-day preparation for life too!
It’s obvious through her passion that Kerry-Lee enjoys playing netball to catch up with friends and appreciates being a part of the wider netball community. As most of us can relate to, being a part of a team and great club is what keeps KL playing this wonderful sport. Kerry-Lee is still young and has many playing years ahead but over the recent years KL has enjoyed developing her umpiring skills obtaining her C badge and is finally attending Country Champs this year!
Kerry-Lee has accomplished a multitude of achievements off the court around the netball scene. Being awarded Blyth Snowtown Netball Club Volunteer of the year in 2007, Life Membership of the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club in 2012 at age 30 AND North Eastern Netball Association Volunteer of the Year in 2016 explains her tireless involvement over the years. Also, it’s fair to say that the recent completion of the 3rd Netball Court and developments (led by Tracey Andriske) at Blyth has been a huge achievement since Kerry-Lee became Blyth Netball President in 2010.
Congratulations on joining the exclusive 250 club at the Cats Kerry-Lee!
Written by Hayley Zweck
Kristin Carling 250
3/6/22 - Tomorrow against RSMU, well known and respected in our club and the association, Kristin Carling, 28, plays her 250th senior Blyth Snowtown Netball Club game.
Congratulations Kristin is the 8th Cats netballer to hit the 250th game since the Blyth and Snowtown clubs officially amalgamated in 1995! We believe she may be the youngest to do so, an amazing achievement! Others include, Cathy Agnew, Tracey Andriske, Kerry-Lee Welke, Bernie Altmann, Kate Wandel, Cherie Stirling and Hayley Zweck. (Kristin is our club games recorder and tried to keep her own milestone under the radar!!)
Kristin has played for the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club her whole career with great success on and off the court as a player, umpire and volunteer. Kristin is a versatile player, generally found in the centre court and sometimes defending in the circle. She has made her way through every senior grade. Kristin's more notable moments have been taking the court in A1s in 2015 when she was in the A2 team, in 2016 she played and made finals in B1s and in 2017 she was a playing coach in B2s making the grand final. She has played finals in most of her senior years. She is a reliable player with deceptively long arms getting lots of intercepts and feeding into goalies after a sneaky fake pass. When playing Centre, she is the perfect role model - reading the play, creating space, stepping in when needed and supporting the whole team, even when she a little fatigued. Kristin is the ultimate team player, she's selfless, fun and plays wherever she's required. Kristin’s on court efforts have earned her many trophies over the years, runner up best & fairest 5 times; 15U in 2007, C2 in 2008 and 3x in B2 in 2013, 2014 & 2018.
Kristin has played in many grand finals with, unfortunately, no medal/shield to take home. It is taboo to even mention this! She is striving for an elusive premiership & this year she has one of our most successful premiership coaches on her side, Bernie Altmann. Will this be Kristin’s year? Everyone will celebrate hard with her if it is, fingers crossed!
Although Saturday is about Kristin’s playing career, her volunteer roles are worth mentioning. Kristin took on her first official role at age 15, in 2009, as a netball coach of the J4s (7-9 year old's). Since then, Kristin has coached junior J2s in 2010, 15U in 2015 & senior B2s in 2017 to the Grand Final and again in 2019 to the Preliminary Final. In 2014, at age 20, Kristin joined the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club (BSNC) committee and is still a member of the committee today and no doubt for many years to come. She gladly agreed to take on the executive role of Secretary in 2017 for 2 years and handled it right from the get-go and was always efficient. Since 2012, Kristin has also taken on major roles such as Club Reporter, Cat Chat Coordinator (newsletter) and Umpire Coordinator. In 2019, Kristin was awarded the honourable and well-deserved Blyth Snowtown Netball Club Volunteer of the Year. Throughout all of these years Kristin has also been a very capable and regular umpire, committed 200+ game player and a welcoming friend to new and old netball members.
Kristin has been and is currently an active part of the newly formed Blyth Snowtown Netball and Football Social Committee since 2018. Kristin recognises the value of social events within the community, as well as working collaboratively with the Blyth Snowtown Football Club to increase connection and works tirelessly to organise events and encourage other young people to contribute and attend.
Kristin is a remarkable asset for the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club, the heart and soul of our club, we look forward to having her around for many more years to come. Cheer her on with the B2's at 1:45pm. Play well Kristin!
Written by Hayley Zweck
Alice Williams 250
8/7/22 - Alice is the 9th player to play 250 games since the Blyth and Snowtown clubs amalgrimated in 1995. Starting her junior career at Lochiel Netball Club, Alice and her family joined the Blyth Snowtown Netball Club when she was 12 years old and has played all her senior career for Blyth Snowtown. During this time she has been an extremely valuable member to the club on and off the court.
On the court, mostly found in her favourite position of WD, Alice can play anywhere in the mid court or defensive circle. Whilst being one of the funnest people in the club, Alice is also a great leader and very relaible on the court. She is able to take control of the play and dictate where she wants her opponents and the ball to go and is always an option for every pass down the court. Alice is a fantastic role model for her younger team mates always willing to share her knowledge to make other players even better. This year she also got the amazing opportunity to play with daughter, Bonnie!
Alice's on court achievements over the years are quite impressive- picking up 4 premierships; B2's in 2002 & 2003, B1's in 2005 and C1's in 2019 as well as a couple trophies; C1 R/Up B&F in 2001 and B1 B&F in 2007.
Alice's off court achievements are just as impressive! She joined the BSNC committee in 2015 and is still a current member seven years later. After being on the committee for just one year she took on the role of Vice President in 2016 and continued until 2018 where she then took on the role of secretary in 2019 & 2020. Prior to joining the committee Alice dedicated her time to coaching; B2's in 2013 & 2014, J3's in 2017, J2's in 2018 & 2019, J1's in 2021 and is currently coaching C2's in 2022. She has also taken on other major roles for the club such as NENA Representative, First Aid Co-ordinator, Uniform Co-ordinator and Junior Co-ordinator.
For all these roles plus plenty more that Alice is always willing to put her hand up for, she was awarded the honourable Blyth Snowtown Netball Club Volunteer Of the Year Award in 2021.
Alice is a fantastic person to have around the club and no doubt will be for many more.
Alice plays in the C1's tomorrow at 12:15pm - good luck tomorrow Alice, we hope you have a great game!
Written by Kristin Carling
Jo Salter 200
3/6/2023
Jo joined Blyth Snowtown in 2009 after playing 100+ games for North Clare and having 3 children.
Since joining the Cats Jo has been a dynamic defender picking up many intercepts and rebounds, creating doubt in her opponent’s mind. The versatility to play any defensive position of WD, GD or GK, Jo is often put in a crucial role to play the last line of defence or create a turnover before getting there due to her reliability wherever she is! She can also provide a beautiful lead down the court as well!
Jo was a big contributor to the B1 threepeat in 2017, 18 & 19. In the trophy cabinet alongside her 3 premierships is A2 Best & Fairest in 2016!
Jo will play at 12:15pm tomorrow. Good luck Jo, we hope you have a ripper game!
Written by Kristin Carling
Sarah Heinrich 200
4/6/22 - A huge milestone for Blyth Snowtown this week, Sarah Richards plays her 200th senior Cats game against the Southern Saints at Snowtown.
Sarah or ‘Heino’ has been a loyal Cats player for 15 years! She came from Black Springs to Blyth and joined the Cats as an eager 21 year old. Sarah has mainly played GD or GK throughout the years but has dabbled in WD and even trialled as a goalie one season, but soon realised it wasn’t for her!
Sarah has been fortunate to experience success over the years. In 2005 she was part of the B1 Premiership team, coached by Cherie Stirling and Kerry-Lee Welke. She debut in the A1 team in 2008 which made the finals, coached by Maggie Hentschke. Sarah has been lucky and deservedly so, been an integral part of the B1 back-to-back premiership sides in 2017 & 2018. And who could forget the time she won her first Cats trophy in 2017, when coach, Bec Jamieson announced the Runner-Up Best & Fairest as Sarah Richards! The crowd went wild, everyone knew how special this was for Sarah as she keeps a close eye on who is awarded Auction (Best player) player each week and this particular year she knew she was in with a chance!
Heino has a unique character on the court. She is ultracompetitive and every coach soon knows they will get the absolute best out of Heino. This is proven by the successful reign of all her respective teams making finals in almost every season she has played.
Coaches describe Sarah as; A very intense player who always gives 110% and loves a specky intercept. Cherie Stirling, B1 Coach, 2005.
A feisty, tenacious player who gave each game and training her all. A real pleasure to coach as you always knew she cared about the team and the outcome of each game. Maggie Hentschke, A1 coach, 2008.
Very coachable, she genuinely appreciates learning new skills and works hard to accomplish them. In particular, her netball mindset benefited from learning some sports psychology strategies to improve performance. Sarah was named captain for this team, she was thrilled and proved to be an excellent choice. Hayley Zweck, B1 coach, 2016
Sarah has kept me on my toes, but really appreciates learning new skills at training and gives 100% effort. She is passionate about her netball which shows on court. She is an excellent defender and rebounder and reads the play well - if only we could get those arms down!! Bernie Altman, B1 coach, 2018
Sarah is also very helpful off the court being a strong voice in the Committee from 2007 to 2010 and as Treasurer in 2011 & 2012.
Sarah has moved out of the Blyth/Snowtown district this season and initially decided not to play netball. However, with a shortage of players and the realisation she was very close to her 200th game (and a write up!), Sarah was convinced to play for one last season. Let’s hope it goes off with a bang…a Cat-Trick maybe!
The Cats won’t be the same without you Heino – enjoy your 200th game and we hope this write up is up to your expectations!
Written by Hayley Zweck
Maddy Zweck 200
17/6/22 - Maddy is a talented defensive player mostly playing in GD but also having a run in WD this season. She has stepped onto the court in every single grade for Blyth Snowtown making her A1 debut in 2015 at a young age. Over the years she has picked up a few trophies - J1 R/Up B&F in 2007, U15 R/Up B&F in 2009, B2 R/Up B&F in 2018 and has also made a few Grand Final appearances including Best on Court in a losing GF in 2009. But Maddy's most successful year came in 2021 where she captained the B1's to a premiership, received R/Up B&F and also finished in top 10 NENA B&F.
Everyone that knows Maddy would know she's quite a quiet person but once Maddy steps onto that court her passion for her team kicks in and a few shrieks of frustration come out as well as lots of encouragement! We're extremely lucky to have Maddy at the club, after moving to Adelaide Maddy still commits the drive back and forth every training and game. Maddy will play in the A2's tomorrow at 12:15pm. Good luck Mads, we hope the team can get a win for you!
Written by Kristin Carling
Nicola Ross 200
26/8/23 Congratulations to Nicola Ross who plays her 200th Blyth Snowtown Senior Game in the 2nd Semi Final at Redhill!
Nicola played all her juniors for Blyth Snowtown and majority of her senior career, having a few years down South playing for Kalangadoo.
Nicola has played goals all her career, with a beautiful reliable shot on goal always rewarding the team’s work. Her intelligent netball brain ensures she has a great connection with her fellow goalie to pull off smart tricky passes, getting them closer to the ring.
Nicola was awarded J2 R/Up B&F in 2003 and 15&U R/Up in 2006.
Nicola had the ultimate success in 2005 winning the 15&U premiership - coached by Bernie Altmann!
Playing the B2 Semi Final tomorrow at 3:00pm, again coached by Bernie Altmann- can Nicola add to her premiership success this year?!
Congratulations Nic, we hope you have a ripper game!!
Written by Kristin Carling