06 Apr NETBALL: Whyte not worried about individual success
Inverleigh A-Grade netball star Kelsey Whyte can’t help but cringe when asked about her individual success.
That’s just the result of the 23-year-old’s team-first mentality on the eve of her side’s season opener against last year’s finalist North Geelong.
“North Geelong has always been such a competitive team so it’s a good match-up to have to start off the season and we’ll have a clearer idea of where we are at,” Whyte said earlier this week.
“We’ve had a really positive pre-season as a club in both football and netball and hopefully we can extend that until the end of the home and away season.”
Last year Inverleigh shot to the top the ladder before suffering a shock loss to Anakie at home in Round 5.
The Hawks would then suffer four consecutive defeats the following month; a patch which would inevitably deprive the side of finals (finishing sixth overall).
“There were a lot of positives with a new coach in Steph Burns but ultimately there were some missed opportunities in some of our earlier games,” she added.
“By the time the finals roll around if you don’t have those games under your belt then it shows at the end of the year.”
While North Geelong would eventually finish fifth (11-1-6 record) it would be Whyte who would impress on Margaret Webb medal night when holding an equal lead in the late stages.
A late finish from Thomson duo Shannyn Leach (26 votes) and Errin Lang (24) edged Whyte to the bottom of the podium with 22 votes ahead of Elkanah Foott and Breanna McPhee (18 each).
“I was living in Melbourne last year due to study and I was sitting in my room when, out of nowhere, the messages just kept coming in during the count,” she recalled.
Had the league’s star held on, she would have been the first Inverleigh player to take out the prestigious honour since her older sister Nicole Whyte triumphed in 2010.
“It was very humbling to receive that recognition from so many people, especially when I remember the significance of Nicole’s victory for our club,” she added.
“But I still don’t really feel comfortable about these type of individual things, we want team success and our new girls this year are club people who have come for the right reasons.”
After hosting North Geelong this weekend Inverleigh will then travel to Werribee next week, facing an A-Grade line-up which has won 51 of its past 53 games.
By Alex Tigani
GDFNL Media (06/04/2018)
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