ADRIAN BALLANTYNE
Thenetballcoach.com director Adrian (AJ) Ballantyne is a former elite men’s and mixed netball player, and has turned his love of the game into a coaching career spanning 17 years, including the last 14 as a coach in Victoria’s elite competition, the Victorian Netball League.
In 2017 he joined Hawks Netball and in 2018 and 2022 coached the club’s Division 1 team to its first premierships since 2012.
AJ is the current head coach of the Victorian 19/U state team after two years as assistant coach of the Victorian 19/U and 17/U teams, was assistant coach for Collingwood Netball’s victorious 2023 Australian Netball Championships team and was head coach of Netball Victoria’s Central East Talent Academy from 2019-2023.
AJ’s passion lies in both junior development and coach development, having worked with countless coaches and representative clubs to develop their coaching skills and programs.
NOELINE TAURUA
The current coach of the New Zealand Silver Ferns, Noeline Taurua is one of the most credentialed and revered coaches that netball has ever seen.
A former Silver Fern herself, in retirement she turned her hand to coaching, experiencing incredible success at the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, where she led the team to two New Zealand national league titles in 2005 and 2006, before it became the only New Zealand team to ever win the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship in 2012.
The inaugural head coach of the Sunshine Coast Lightning, Noeline did the unthinkable in 2017 and 2018, leading the startup franchise to back-to-back titles in the first two years of the Suncorp Super Netball competition, before being announced as the new coach of the Silver Ferns at season’s end.
She will coach both the Ferns and the Lightning in 2019, and we’re honoured to count her among the coaches at thenetballcoach.com!
DAN RYAN
One of the biggest names in Australian coaching, Dan has a wealth of experience in working with athletes and a passion for helping both players and coaches develop their craft.
In 2022 Dan led the West Coast Fever to its first ever Suncorp Super Netball title, while in 2017 and 2018 Ryan was the head coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds, having previously been a Thunderbirds assistant coach for four seasons. In 2016 he also led the Manchester Thunder to the grand final in the UK Superleague.
In 2019 he was named as the Northern Ireland national head coach, as well as returning to Manchester as an assistant coach.
He has also coached for South Australia in the Australian Netball League, and has had roles with England’s 21/U squad and numerous other teams at all levels.
CATHY FELLOWS
One of Australia’s most revered coaching figures, with a resume and achievements like few others, Cathy is the current Adelaide Thunderbirds assistant coach, having helped guide the team to a premiership in 2023.
She is also the current Australian 21/U head coach as the team prepares for the World Youth Cup, and has previously held numerous roles including with Collingwood Magpies, Melbourne Vixens, Melbourne Kestrels and the Victorian Institute of Sport.
KELSEY BROWNE
One of the most naturally gifted midcourters Victoria has ever produced, Kelsey Browne is now a two-time Suncorp Super Netball champion with the Sunshine Coast Lighting, as well as an Australian Diamond.
After two seasons with the Lightning and a call-up to the Diamonds squad for the 2018 Quad Series, Browne joined Collingwood in 2019, and brings a wealth of midcourt knowledge and experience to our videos.
GERARD MURPHY
Gerard is one of Victoria’s most accomplished coaches, having coached Victorian under-age teams at national championships, and enjoyed considerable success as a coach at both City West Falcons and Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League.
As Cougars head coach, in 2017 he led the club’s Division 1 and 19/U teams to grand final success, while the Cougars’ top-flight Championship team reached the preliminary final. In 2018 the Cougars again reached the grand final in Championship and Division 1 under Gerard’s leadership, before finally winning a historic Championship premiership in 2019.
CAITLYN NEVINS
A six-year veteran in Australia’s national competition, Caitlyn won premierships with the Queensland Firebirds in 2015 and 2016 and debuted for the Australian Diamonds in 2017.
Renowned for her on-court smarts and work ethic, she has a wealth of knowledge on the attacking end, and is also a qualified podiatrist.
HEATH BROWN
One of Australia’s greatest ever men’s netballers, Heath represented his state and country for more than a decade, and captained the Australian Men’s team in the latter part of his career.
He is also a distinguished coach with a specialisation in defence, and has coached at State League level in both Victoria and New South Wales, as well as coaching the NSW Men’s team and in the men’s national program.
SARAH HOGAN
An elite player in both the women’s and mixed game, Sarah has represented Victoria and Australia in mixed netball and remains an integral part of Victorian Netball League club DC North East Blaze.
Sarah is now also pursuing her coaching career, with a coaching role at Blaze, and from 2019-21 was named as head coach of the Victorian 15/U Schoolgirls team.
In 2018 she was the assistant coach of the Victorian 17/U team, and in 2019 was assistant coach for the Victorian 19/U team.
MICAELA WILSON
After a stellar under-age career that included numerous Victorian representations as well as Australian selection, including for the 2013 Youth World Cup squad, Micaela enjoyed stints with Melbourne Vixens and NSW Swifts, as well as playing for Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League.
Micaela also has extensive experience coaching junior players.
MATT BLOMELEY
Now an elite coach after a distinguished career as a men’s and mixed netballer, Matt has had netball in his veins since his teenage years.
He represented Victoria and Australia as a player at under-age and Open level before turning his hand to coaching, becoming the Australian 20/U Men’s coach and Victorian 23/U Men’s coach.
He also previously coached in Victoria’s highest competition, the Victorian Netball League, with City West Falcons.
KEIRA CENIN
A former Victorian representative and Victorian Netball League player, Keira has turned her talents to coaching, where she has worked with both junior and senior athletes over a number of years.
She has enjoyed success as a team head coach at VNL club Peninsula Waves, and in 2023 took on the role of head coach and Championship division coach.
In 2019-21 she was named as assistant coach of the Victorian 15/U Schoolgirls team.
SOPHIE DURNAN
A rising star in coaching circles, Sophie is the current Victorian 15/U team coach, and has been an assistant coach at Hawks Netball in the Victorian Netball League.
She has also been a coach within Netball Victoria’s Talent Academy program.
JULIA ALLAN
An elite player in her own right, Julia has been the physiotherapist of choice for many elite teams, including Victoria’s under-age state teams and the Victorian Fury.
Julia has also been the physiotherapist for the Victorian Cyclones men’s state team, has worked with the Melbourne Heart and the Australian basketball team, and is often engaged to work with touring music artists, including Ed Sheeran and Drake.
She also runs a physio health and fitness blog, Athlete Advantage.
SAMANTHA GOODEN
A member of multiple Super Netball franchises including the Adelaide Thunderbirds, Collingwood and Melbourne Vixens, Sam has been a presence in the Australian netball landscape for many years.
A part of Netball Australia’s elite specialist ‘talls’ program, in 2017 Sam took the next step in her netball career as a training partner with the Magpies, before being called into the Melbourne Vixens squad in 2018 as an injury replacement player.
She has been a member of Victoria’s 19/U and 21/U teams and was also named as a member of the Australian 19/U and 20/U squads.