'Give it one more go': What's inspiring mentor in final netball season

Merrivale mentor Elisha Sobey back flipped on her plans to retire after the 2023 A grade grand final and is leading a new-look Tigers this season, one in which got the points in the standalone Good Friday clash against Old Collegians.

She is once again determined to lead the Tigers back to the big stage and close out her career with another premiership.

The mid-courter has won A grade premierships with Merrivale as a player, but not as a coach.

"Losing that grand final, I really wanted that fairy tale ending and not taking away from Nirranda, I knew it was going to be hard, but we all sort of sat there after the grand final and said, 'righto, let's get it give one more crack as a group'," she told The Standard.

"I said all along I would only play until I was 40, but technically I'm 41 at the end of the season so I'm still playing until I'm 40 so we'll give it one more go."

Sobey said despite the personnel changes, including big guns Georgia Martin (pregnant), Cloe O'Flaherty (pregnant) and Carly Peake (Warrnambool) not playing this season, she was looking forward to seeing what unfolded this season.

"The girls wanted another year and then three of them got pregnant so they kind of stooged me a little bit," she said with a laugh.

"But Cloe will be on the sidelines (co-coaching) which is exciting for us. She knows what she's doing, she just needs to speak up and have that confidence but she's a real up and coming coach. She'll be a gun coach in the future at the senior level and we have the exact same ideas.

"We'll work really well together but she's a massive out for us on the court.

"It's a really fresh looking squad this year and it's exciting to see."

The Tigers will take on reigning premiers Nirranda under lights at Merrivale Recreation Reserve on Saturday April 2 in the grand final re-match.