General News
7 April, 2026
Lakers eyes continued growth
Another year under coach Sharon Fedke has the Taylors Lake A grade netball side ready to take another leap in 2026.
The Lakers won just two games in 2024, but in Fedke’s first year at the helm, the side registered six wins and ultimately finished eighth.
The coach was impressed with the growth shown last year and believes another year of continuity will only benefit the group.
“I was really happy with last year,” Fedke said.
“I felt like we made a lot of progress; I think that we pushed a lot of teams.
“A couple more wins on the board, and we were pushing for a finals birth.
“For me, this is not just a one-year job; this is about keeping this group together for a long time, and hopefully they can continue to grow and progress.
“I believe the longer you can play together, it can make a world of difference.”
While some players depart the side with university and job commitments, Fedke says Kaleisha McKerron will be a welcome addition to the side.
“We’ve had a bit of turnover with players heading off to uni and jobs, but most of that core group will remain together, so we will continue to build on that,” Fedke said.
“Harriet Overman, Isabel Hedt and Olivia Revell won’t be playing, but we picked up Kaleisha McKerron.
“Kaleisha previously played at the club, brings Wimmera League experience, and returns after being away in Geelong for a few years.
“As a club, we’re really working hard on developing our juniors, so we expect some of the juniors to develop into senior players as well.”
After a breakout 2025 season, which saw her finish second in the HDFNL Best and Fairest vote count, Fedke believes midcourter Kayla Kelm can rise to another level.
“Kayla had a great season last year, and I expect her to do the same this year,” Fedke said. “There’s still so much of her game that she can improve, and if she does that, she’s going to be flying along.
“In saying that, it’s what we’re doing as a team, and making sure we play as well as we can as a team.”
Asked about the goals for the Lakers in 2026, Fedke said the team’s development is of greater importance than the number of wins and losses.
“As it was last year, whether we have lots of wins or lots of losses, it’s still about the growth as a group,” Fedke said.
“Obviously, we want to win, but at the same time you can’t get bogged down in that because it can take away from the other things you are trying to achieve.”