Colleen Balfour has been appointed to lead the Saints in 2026 as the squad continues its efforts to climb up the ladder again, bringing plenty of experience to what is currently a youthful set-up at Benalla.
It is a familial connection that led Balfour to first observe the Saints and then throw her hat in the ring for the top job, her first at the GVL level, which she acknowledges will be a challenge, but one she is excited to take on nonetheless.
“I’ve never coached this level before, so it will be a challenge for me and I'm looking forward to it,” she said.
“My daughter plays for Benalla Saints and I've umpired for them for the last two years, so I've watched them over the last two years and think I have something to offer.”
Balfour is a revered figure in the north east netball scene, having racked up seven premierships as a player and coach at Moyhu in the Ovens and King League, and possessing a wealth of knowledge acquired from her more than three decades of involvement in the sport.
Having also played at Milawa and spent some time at Wangaratta Rovers in the Ovens and Murray League, Balfour is also a life member of the Ovens and King League, making her supremely qualified for the top job.
Her task is not a small one, though, as she takes control of a young and inexperienced outfit that has managed just three wins in as many years.
While she is only at the beginning of her tenure and still familiarising herself with the squad and its abilities, holding her first training session on Thursday, Balfour will bring a development-focused mindset to the group, with a big emphasis on improving the basics as the Saints strive to become more competitive.
“I’m very big on skill correction,” she said.
“I'm very big on discipline on court and I'm very big on providing the players with the tools and the confidence to make decisions in real time during a game, so that's what I'll be concentrating on ... I think development would be our goal, just developing our skills and getting our basics right and trying to be more competitive.”
Balfour isn’t the only addition the Saints have made on the netball side of things, either, with the inclusion of Julie Hoornweg as the high-performance netball mentor next season.
With experience as head coach of Fiji, England and Wales, Hoornweg has joined the Saints in a developmental and high-performance role, working with every grade from under-15 right up to A-grade.
The inaugural coach of the Melbourne Vixens and prior to that at the Melbourne Phoenix, Hoornweg has tasted the ultimate success at domestic level, leading the Phoenix to the Commonwealth Bank Trophy in 2005 and the Vixens to the ANZ Championship in 2009, being named Coach of the Year in both those seasons and again in 2012.
It is a huge coup for the Saints, who have struggled in recent seasons on the court, but reaffirms their ambition to return to the top of the league.
19°C