Father-daughter duo to lead Blues on court

GRETA royalty will once again be involved in coaching the Blues, with Alannah Cassidy and father Greg Newbold locked in as head netball co-coaches for two years. The dynamic duo will take over the reins from Loren McClounan, who led the Blues to their sixth straight grand final appearance, before their 48-60 loss to Bonnie Doon back in September. A lauded player in her own right, Cassidy will mark her return to playing after two seasons on the sidelines. “I’ve had two years out of playing, but in that first year out I was coaching Greta’s B reserve and I was pregnant at that time so that’s why I didn’t play,” she said. “Last season I just wanted a year off with my baby, but I still helped out A grade towards the end of the year and toward finals, just on their bench and giving them some feedback on what I observed.” More known for his footy coaching prowess, Newbold led the senior Greta side for seven years as senior coach, but will be teaming up with his daughter to coach from the sidelines while she focused on playing. Cassidy said their skill sets would complement each other. “I had been spoken to about coaching and I didn’t want to be a solo playing coach,” she said. “My dad was interested so I approached him and asked what if we did it together - that way, I can play and not be a solo playing coach because that’s an extremely difficult thing for anyone to do. “He has an unbelievable ability with people, his knowledge even of netball is quite good. “He has coached more than just football, he’s coached cricket teams and hockey teams, so I don’t think he’ll have any issues with that. “It’s where I can guide him a little bit as well, so it’s nice we’re working together for that." Cassidy said there would be some movement within the A grade list, with players departing the club which would open the door to the depth of talent coming through the ranks. “We’ve had a little bit of movement within our A grade team, so it’s actually going to be a really lovely year, rebuilding a little bit,” she said. “We lost the grand final this last season but that wasn’t a negative, Bonnie Doon played beautifully, so we can actually learn a lot from them. “We’ve got a lot of girls coming from under 17s and coming through in our development (squads) as well, so I think it’s actually going to be a lovely year. “In improving and trying to get us back on top, we just want to win each quarter, that’s going to be our main goal. “If we can win each quarter then we’re going to be successful either way.”

Father-daughter duo to lead Blues on court

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

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