THE South Coast Blaze's plans of lighting up their inaugural season on the hardwood have fallen by the wayside, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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However, Shoalhaven's Shelby Mallon is confident her first year with the club will be a successful one.
She will be ready to fire on all cylinders when their NSW Premier League season gets the go-ahead whistle.
"After gearing up for a big start, it was a little disappointing to see the season's first centre pass postponed," Mallon said.
"However, with everything that's going on, it's completely understandable why Netball NSW made the decisions they did.
"As much as we love our netball, the health and safety of our communities is always the highest priority.
"I can speak for all the girls in our team and say we're so thankful for the support network we have around us right now at the club, who have made dealing with this lockdown a lot easier."
The St Johns alumna started her career on the court with the Berry Netball Club, before playing out the rest of her juniors with Nowra North/Bomaderry, which included stints with Shoalhaven representative side.
Mallon, when she was 16-years-of-age, transitioned into playing in the Sydney competition with Sutherland, which saw her career take off - being selected in both the NSW under 17s and under 19s squad.
She also trained with the NSW Institute of Sport during this time, paving the way for her being picked in the Australian under 17s in 2016.
However, after five years away from the South Coast, Mallon decided to return - where she will play with both Shellharbour in the Illawarra Premier League (played on Saturday) and the Blaze (on Wednesday nights).
"I'm really excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to play with the Blaze open's team during their inaugural season," Mallon said.
"To be able to represent my home on the South Coast is very special and something I aim to make the most of every time I step out on the court. Being able to play at such a high standard of netball, alongside girls I've played with and against growing up - not to mention an under a number of the region's top coaches, is special.
"Some of us girls hadn't seen each other in years but once we got back on the court with one another we just clicked, which should hold us in good shape during the season.
"The talent across the board is amazing and we're all looking forward to showing what girls from the South Coast are all about.
"We're keen to create our own slice of history."
To ensure they're still at peak fitness when they get the all-clear to return to the court - which at this stage is scheduled for July 29, with the season running through until December - the Blaze, which also features Sanctuary Point's Elecia Parrott, has been issued a specific training program to adhere to during the lockdown.
"Initially it was hard to stay motivated, as we obviously weren't allowed to see out teammates or use the gym facilities, under the restrictions," Mallon, who plays either goal-attack or goal-shooter, said.
"However, we are so lucky to be part of a franchise like the Blaze that has put so many support networks in place as this gives us the best chance of success.
"Our sports trainers at BaiMed have supplied all us players with strength and conditioning programs, to help us stay fit, healthy and injury-free.
"They've also allowed us to use their telehealth services, to individualise specifics into our home sessions, as well as once a week hosting a pilates session - it's been amazing to have a resource such as them on our side.
"We also have online tech questionnaires that the staff at the club monitor, allowing them to know exactly how much work we're all doing.
"Our senior coaches Marji [Parr] and Dennis [Napara] have given us ball drills to complete at home, including passing the ball against the wall, footwork drills and shooting, which has seen me try and get down to the local courts a couple of times a week to not lose my touch.
"All of these methods have kept us all accountable, especially now we have a date to work towards and I'm confident and excited it'll help us perform to our capabilities when we resume."
Another aspect the Blaze players have thoroughly enjoyed is the weekly individual and team Zoom sessions - with the latter involving a number of high profile netball personalities as guest speakers, such as Norma Plummer (former Australian Diamonds coach and former South African Proteas coach) and Megan Anderson (former Australian Diamond and current Diamonds specialist coach).
"We've been very lucky to chat with distinguished netball coaches such as Norma and Megan in recent weeks," Mallon said.
"It's been great to pick their brains and learn different aspects and strategies of the sport we love - they've both got a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure their influence has been beneficial to all the girls."
Another way the Blaze open and under 23 squads have been keeping busy during the lockdown is by engaging the South Coast netball community through their social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.
"We've had a great response to our social media initiatives, which helps keep a smiles on people's faces during this tough time," she said.
"From our 'Then and Now' flashback photos to 'Pass the Ball' videos and individual video drill sessions (called Blaze Skillz), we've all had plenty of fun engaging and interacting with our fans and the community as a whole."
When Mallon and her team finally hit the court, the Shoalhaven product has a number of goals she'd like to achieve.
"Personally, all us girls want to continue to learn and grow our individual skill sets as netballers, which can be a benefit for the whole group," she said.
"Being part of our talented and competitive group is exciting because the depth will drive us to be the best we can each time we pull on those Blaze colours.
"We're confident we have the squad that can qualify for finals in year one - that's definitely a goal we all have our eyes on.
"It's important we lay a strong platform for years to come, as the South Coast is such a strong nursery for netballers.
"We all can't wait to get out there and make our region proud."