NEWLY-appointed Nirranda netball coach Anna Archie had planned to return to New Zealand at the end of summer.
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Instead, the former Timboon Demons mid-courter is busy preparing for her senior coaching debut on Australian soil.
Archie, 25, has accepted the Blues’ A grade coaching role, replacing Merrivale-bound Raewyn Poumako for the 2013 Warrnambool and District league season.
The Nirranda recruit, who moved to Australia in 2010, said she would call upon her junior coaching experience.
“The transition between 17s and seniors is quite big and a lot of girls come from being a top 17s player and they rock up into seniors and there is a bit of a wake-up call,” Archie said.
“There are bigger-bodied women and there is a bit more grunt out on court. They really have to come in with an attitude that they’re not juniors anymore. It’s not just about getting out there and having a go, you have to play in a tactical way.”
Archie, who coached Timboon Demons’ 17 and under side last season, played for the Demons in 2011 and 2012.
She stopped playing halfway through last season to concentrate on coaching but expects to fill a mid-court role at the Blues.
“It is a fresh start for myself and the club,” she said. “I know there is a lot of new things happening there. We have a netball committee up and going.
“There is a lot of youth hanging around and I think developing the young players coming through and really getting a positive vibe in the club this season (is important).
“At the moment I am taking it one step at a time.
“I think every team going into the season wants to make the top five and push through.
“It would be awesome to get there but, as I said, I am still getting my head around senior coaching.
“Each week is different, each game is different and when you get to the finals it’s different.”
Archie, who is playing for Timboon Night in the Western Regional State League competition, said she loved living in the south-west.
“I was mucking around and thought I’d head over (to Australia) and ended up in Townsville for a month and then got a job down here on a dairy farm,” she said.
“I was going to stick around here for three months and I’m still here. At the moment I am just milking in the mornings and at night, so I get to train during the day, so it’s good.
“I grew up at a farm much like Timboon, so I am sort of home away from home.
“The area is very much like where I am from so I have settled in well. A bit too well, I think.”
Nirranda will start its pre-season training on Wednesday.
The Blues have scheduled a registration day for Sunday.
