Two of Mudgee's representative netball sides will take to the court at Camden this weekend to throw their bibs in the ring for a State Championships victory.
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The competition in its first year of restructuring, having been altered from a combined event to being separated into divisions with seniors (15s to 17s) playing at this time of the year, while juniors with take to the court in July, is said to hone in some stiff competition.
"It's divided into divisions now, both of our teams are in division three this year going in which makes it more competitive," 17s assistant coach Lauren Greggory said.
"Mudgee Netball is aiming to have all of their teams in division three across the board."
A boost in numbers is the reason behind the move which Greggory says hasn't been the case in the Mudgee district for some time.
"In Mudgee, our numbers have remained steady. We've probably lost a few but in our district, the numbers hold steady for participation which is great," she said.
Greggory is confident the sides will finish high at the championships, with sights set on placing within the top five.
We had a carnival in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago which the 17s won five out of their seven games, and 15s were the same, so I think they'll go really well.
- Mudgee Netball 17s assistant coach, Lauren Greggory
"I think we've got a good shot at it, we're aiming to make the top five for the 17s. We feel that's a realistic goal in our division."
While only a small association, Greggory told the Mudgee Guardian the amount of support the players share and the love for the sport, are further reasons why she is confident they will go far.
"The enthusiasm and effort are definitely the strongest parts of our teams," Lauren told.
We are a small association in comparison to a lot of other areas, but the effort the girls give on and off the court is commendable.
"Coming from a small town as well you really appreciate the opportunity to represent your town. They want to do well for each other.
"They have put in all of the effort up until now so hopefully we'll see results of that effort on the weekend."