Ōtaki College’s junior netball team finished the season unbeaten in pool games, comfortably winning the Kāpiti colleges competition.

In the competition final on September 28, the girls played Kapanui Magic and won 28-9 at Te Ati Awa Park, completing the eight-game regular season unbeaten. Kapanui, however, had delivered Ōtaki its only loss this year, when they beat the local team in a pre-season grading game.

The 11-12 year-olds are coached by senior student Emily Georgetti, a keen netballer herself but sidelined this year because of injury.

“I worked them pretty hard but it turned out really well,” she says. “They got a good result at the end of the season. I loved the coaching, even though there were plenty of ups and downs over those months.”

Emily is the only netball coach at Ōtaki College this year who is a student, the other being teachers or parent volunteers.