The club has confirmed Kira Stapleton will step up and coach their A Grade side in her third year with the club after she joined for the 2019 season.

Stapleton spent her first season with the club as an assistant coach for the A and B Grade sides and is now looking forward to the challenge being the head coach.

"We knew it was a good family club and we had some friends here so I just wanted to join as a bit of a change up," she said.

"I love netball and I love the girls, so I guess I am drawn to coaching because I have a passion for the game and I am a people person, I love people.

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"I thought trying to do the A and B grade would be too much coming off last season and so I thought it would be best to give 100 per cent to one team, to all the girls.

"I play as well so it is a bit hard to play A grade and coach the two grades as well."

Stapleton said the club was hoping to improve on their 2019 season and push for a place in the finals.

"Last year we were really keen because we had a lot of newbies and a lot of quality come through which is great," she said.

"But coming into this year, we were a little bit worried about numbers after the year off, but we have had some try-outs and training and we have been picking up in quality and numbers which is good.

"In 2019 our A grade girls missed out on finals, so finals is definitely always what we strive for and we also just aim to enjoy ourselves on and off the court. That is also a big thing for me."

Great Western president Tracey McCartney is also hoping the netball sides can build on the momentum they were creating in 2020, before the season was cancelled.

"As far as netball is concerned, we had recruited really well for the 2020 season and I was hoping to have our A Grade in the finals for a long time," she said.

"And it was the same with B Grade as well, it was flowing down the line, so I was really excited that we were going to have a couple of sides in the netball finals."

Great Western's B Grade side will be coached by Hannah Miller who will also be aiming to make finals in the 2021 season.

Jacqui Ralph will also be shouldering a big responsibility as she steps up to coach both the C Grade and under-17 teams.

Ralph joined Great Western seven years ago and has loved her time with the club.

"The family atmosphere keeps bring me back to the club, because it is a club that my partner was involved with first, and then I joined and my kids absolutely love it here," she said.

"The people are amazing and they do everything for everyone."

Ralph has had some previous coaching experience and wants to balance her time between pushing for finals in the C Grade and developing the clubs next generation of senior players.

"Two years ago we (the C Grade) were knocked out in the preliminary final and lost by one goal," she said.

"A lot of the girls have had the year off and the aim is to have get the same group of girls back together and do the best that we can throughout the year, aim for finals and hopefully go that one step further next time.

"We have had good numbers during our try-outs and we have lost a few girls, but we have also gained a few too."

Ralph said she loves coaching juniors to help them learn the game and do things they didn't think they could be capable off.

"If I can have one girl come to me at the end of the year and say 'I didn't think I could play that position and now I have done it', that is enough for me," she said.

"It was nerve racking for a few girls with the age group change from under-17 to under-18, especially for some of the girls who are 16 and will have to play against 18 year-old girls, it was a bit daunting for them.

"As a group as a whole, it is always going to be wins on the board and finals are the aims, but if that eludes us, even knocking off a team the girls didn't think was possible would be great."

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Finally, the club's youngest stars will be coached by senior player Kyla Pearse.

Pearse has been involved with the club for around four seasons and said she is looking forward to working with the "eager" team.

"I wanted to coach the under 15s to have that little bit more involvement in the club," she said.

"I have coached out here before, but that was with the seniors so it is good to get involved with the younger ones.

"The juniors are very eager to learn new things, so that eagerness and excitement from the younger ones makes the role great.

"With under-15 team it is all about growing their skill level and their knowledge of netball and with the competition this season it will be quite strong, so it should be a good learning curve for the girls."

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