Amy Marshall, the incoming Lions leader, understudied for the likes of Jenny Barlow and Di Hanslow during her time at Mooroopna and has a decorated decade of coaching to call on.
It’ll come in handy; this is her first A-grade role — ever.
“I’ve always been happy to slot in under someone else and learn, so it’s going to be a lot different for me,” she said.
“I’m sure there’ll be the occasional phone call to people if I get stuck; I’ve got some great relationships still.”
Marshall embarked on a circuitous path after playing her juniors at Mooroopna, leaving the sport entirely before joining Tallygaroopna and later returning to the Cattery.
Netball wasn’t her game back then. It is now.
“Netball wasn’t my chosen sport as a junior, it was kind of something that I did just with friends at the SNA when I could,” Marshall said.
“(I played) badminton. It surprises people; I actually played at a state level, it was anywhere from five to six days of training/playing commitments per week.
“I went back to netball after a huge amount of ankle and knee injuries, I went back in 2014 to Tally in the KDL.
“I spent a little bit of time there, won a premiership as a player and a coach and then went to Mooroopna.”
Marshall successfully coached multiple grades during her four years at the Redlegs, playing in two premierships.
Exiting the club saw her change back into Mooroopna garb, leading the 15-and-under, 17-and-under, B-reserve and B-grade squads.
It was here, at the Cats, where she stumbled across a couple of influential figures.
“Jen (Barlow) was a defensive specialist, which is definitely in my wheelhouse because I was a defender,” she said.
“(There are) countless things that I learnt from her, but it was probably about work ethic as a player ... she certainly held a high standard for everybody.
“And Di (Hanslow) is much the same; what she and the rest of the coaching group at Mooroopna has been able to achieve over the last four or five years is pretty impressive.”
Marshall wouldn’t half mind starting a dynasty of her own at Undera — but it will take some doing.
The Lions haven’t played finals in A-grade since 2017, but approach 2024 off the back of one of the better seasons in recent memory.
Rachel Torney guided Undera into 10th, 12 points off the finals drop, which was a significant build on wooden spoon finishes during the 2021 and 2022 tilts.
Now with Marshall at the helm, who has helped out at the club for several years in an informal capacity, incremental improvements across the board have been outlined as the target.
“I think they were really thrilled with what Rachel was able to achieve in ’23, and if she wasn’t moving away she would’ve definitely continued,” she said.
“I don’t think we’re going to set huge expectations for next year, I think that it’s about building the club for a while.
“I’m not going to be one who’s focused wholly and solely on A-grade despite the fact that’ll be my main coaching role, I’m really about developing the entire coaching group and the club as a whole.”
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