Flag win a real family affair

PLAYING netball with your mum may sound like public humiliation to some teenage girls.
But for one group of Nar Nar Goon netballers, the combination of five sets of mums and daughters proved to be a winning formula at Pakenham’s Cardinia LiFE this summer.
The ‘M and Ds’ took all before them on their way to a grand final win in the senior ladies’ C Grade netball competition at the stadium last month.
The team was made up of Chelsea Beck and daughter Taylor, Simone and Hannah Cunningham, Michelle and Maggie Collins, Ange and Mirae Payroli, and Sandy and Grace Keysers.
Sandy, a former state-level netballer, takes up the story of how the team came together for their debut season.
“We just thought it might be a bit of fun to do some sport with our kids while we still could – and they still wanted to,” she laughed.
“And they were pretty keen to do it. “We’ve all had an involvement through Nar Nar Goon (Netball Club), and we’ve all been friends for a very long time.”
And while relationships between mums and their teenage daughters can often been volatile, Sandra says there were few problems with team chemistry.
“There were some issues at times, but more funny than anything, with kids taking the p**s out of their parents,” she said.
Still, the competitive spirit of the group came to the fore when matches were there to be won. And Sandra is not afraid to give the girls, aged between 14 and 19, the lion’s share of the credit for the premiership.
“I’d like to say (the workload) was evenly spread, but I’m not sure it was. We had them in the more crucial positions and they certainly outshone us in most games,” she said.
The families will be hoping that success can continue when the girls suit up for Nar Nar Goon in the Ellinbank and District Netball Association this winter.