The GIANTS have strengthened their coaching staff ahead of the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season by adding Australian Kelpies coach, Nerida Stewart, to their ranks.
Stewart – who hails from the New South Wales’ Central Coast - returns home after a season with the West Coast Fever as an assistant coach, to join the GIANTS as a specialist coach.
The former National League player brings a wealth of both playing and coaching experience to bolster the GIANTS’ coaching staff, as the team looks to make a return to the Suncorp Super Netball finals this season.
Having worked across an array of teams in pathways netball, as well as three years as the head coach at the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS), Stewart knows what it takes to get the best out of her players.
Stewart said she is excited by the opportunity to continue her coaching career back home here in NSW.
“I’m NSW born and bred, played and coached here, so to come back here to the GIANTS family and get an opportunity to be a part of home game days is really exciting and something I'm eternally grateful for,” she said.
Finding a home at the GIANTS comes with a warm welcome, as Stewarts reunites with familiar faces from her netball journey to date.
“I coached Amy [Sligar], Matisse [Letherbarrow], Sophie [Dwyer] and Tilly [McDonell] in state programs and at NSWIS, so to get back in the fold and see how much they have progressed and to have just a minimal impact on their season is really warming to the heart,” she said.
“Julie was also my first state coach, so it’s nice to come back and work with Jules in a different capacity.”
The mother of five is fitting right in at the GIANTS and when asked about what she’s learnt about the club to date she described it ‘as family’.
“It’s a real family and I love that. That’s what I try to bring to any team that I'm in, so i think it just makes it really easy to come in,” she said.
“The girls are tenacious and want to be the best they can be, and I build off that and it allows me to do my best work with them when they’re in that sort of headspace.”
Stewart will join the GIANTS for their main training session once a week and will also form part of the GIANTS’ game day coaching staff.
GIANTS head coach Julie Fitzgerald said she is thrilled to add Stewart’s expertise and experience to her coaching staff.
“Nerida has an impressive netball resume and we’re excited to have her working with our program this year,” Fitzgerald said.
“Her skillset and expertise will be a valuable asset to our setup, alongside a fresh set of eyes to complement our new look playing list.”
The GIANTS this week completed their first training sessions as a full squad, after welcoming back Jamie-Lee Price and Sophie Dwyer from international duties.
The GIANTS will kickstart the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season when they host the West Coast Fever at Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday, April 13.
