Heading into 2024, knew this season would be different. or signup to continue reading After welcoming her daughter, Olivia, into the world five months ago, Dyde has embraced the juggle between life as a new mum and Dederang Mount Beauty's A-grade netball coach. And for what is believed to be the first time since 2001, the Bombers have guaranteed themselves a finals berth.
"This is years in the making, even before my time, when and Janelle Williamson were coaching," Dyde said. "It's been about creating a space where people want to come and play, and over time, we've been able to recruit into that and retain players. "We're at a point now where we've got sides that are really competitive and it's super exciting that A-grade are in the final for the first time in a really long time.
" While there's still one round to play of the Tallangatta and District Netball Association season, A-grade finalists have already secured their spots, with the Bombers joining the Hoppers, Bulldogs, Swans and Hawks. "We always had confidence in ourselves," Dyde said. "At the start of the season, we said to ourselves, we'll be at Sandy Creek, there's no doubt about that, and that's the mentality we had.
"The game where it was solidified was really exciting for everyone and a little bit emotional at the end knowing that we had done it. "In saying that though, we knew it wasn't the time to slack off. "This is where it actually amps up.
" Dyde (nee Novak) first joined the Bombers back in 2011, and after moving away for a period of time, returned to the club in 2021. Having now been at the helm of A-grade for two seasons, this marks her first as a non-playing coach, as she continues to navigate netball as a mum. "It's a balance and it's a great outlet," she said.
"I've always been a playing coach, so it's been a really great forced opportunity to just coach from the sidelines, and I think that's been the best thing for the team and myself." The Bombers have several mums in the A-grade side, including who will reach 100 senior games this weekend against Rutherglen. "The last couple of seasons, the club's become really accommodating of mums and parents in general," Dyde said.
"From that, we've been able to have a few of our mums, like Tessa Walsh, Stacey Browne and even Alysha De Koeyer being able to return post-babies and they're now in our A-grade side. "That's talent and skill that we potentially could have lost if we weren't accommodating to parents. "It's a true family-friendly focus.
" With the tide changing for the Bombers, premiership players from over two decades ago are still showing their support. "It's been really cool because a lot of those past players, particularly now we've come back to Dederang, are on the sidelines cheering us on, and they're just as excited for us," Dyde said. While there's the potential for movement within the top five pending this weekend's results, Dyde is expecting a tough finals series regardless.
"All of the top five have either changed, adapted or continued to improve throughout the season," she said. "We're all different teams to what we were at the start of the season, and I think that makes for a really interesting and fun finals." DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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