South Coast Blaze netballer Clare McCrohon ready to step up to next level

McCrohon has been with the NSW Premier League franchise since its inception in 2019, representing and their under 23s side over the past three seasons. Highlights have included captaining the team to two grand finals during that period.

The centre also had a taste of opens grade last season, but will make the full-time move to the side in 2023.

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"It's a very exciting transition. I'm been lucky enough to be with Blaze since the beginning so, working through the under 23s system, our goal is to move up to the opens and take that next step," McCrohon said.

"I was lucky enough to play a few games for them last year. It was definitely a different level, it was a faster pace game and you're up against some older athletes.

"But being surrounded by such a supportive group of girls and coaching staff, the move up felt fairly smooth."

The Blaze opens are hoping to build on a promising 2022 campaign, where they played their second finals series in three years. The side was knocked out in the first semi-final last year by Central Coast, but McCrohon believes there's plenty of reasons for them to feel positive heading into the new season.

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"As a team, we're always pushing to improve on the previous season," she said.

"For an individual goal, I'm excited to knuckle down and learn as much as possible moving into the opens space. All of the girls in the opens are amazing, but I've always loved learning from Taylah Davies, who has a wealth of experience in the netball world. So I'm super excited to work alongside her.

"I also have an under 23s teammate in Mia Evans, who has also been elevated to the opens. She's an amazing talent, so I think we're only going to be stronger this year."

Opens squad:

Katelyn Anderson, Aisha Bower, Te-Arn Bradley, Caitlin Brady, Kristina Brice, Amber Brophy, Taylah Davies, Maddy Eaton, Mia Evans, Tegan Holland, Clare Leighton, Shelby Mallon, Clare McCrohon and Abbey McFadden. Training partners: Olivia Clark, Amelia Holz and Emily Robinson.

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