Netball: Veteran Muir happy to keep going

Lois Muir wants to keep coaching the Otago Rebels for at least one more season.

The former Silver Ferns coach said yesterday that she had no plans to step down after four years in the job.

"I'm still enjoying it, and I hope to keep going," Muir said. "We haven't had the year I would have liked and I do feel I've got some unfinished business."

Muir's Rebels have won just one game this season and will finish second from bottom in the National Bank Cup if they do not beat the Capital Shakers on Sunday.

Despite the Rebels' struggles, Muir said she was still getting a kick out of developing players and building what she hoped would be a successful team.

"There is a lot of talent coming through this region and we're going to see players getting better and better.

"I think all the signs are there that, while this year has been a battle, we can look forward to next year with certainly some excitement."

Muir, 69, who is also the head of Netball Otago, said a lack of experience in strategic positions had hurt the Rebels this season.

She was referring to the loss of midcourters Janine Southby and Megan Parke and goal shoot Katie Ritchie, and the fact they were replaced with rookies.

She suggested the Rebels would look more closely at their recruitment policy, and at importing an overseas player.

"We've got to lift the bar all round to make sure we keep up," she said. "The key for us is ensuring that we get value for our dollars.

"We've had a difficult transition with the new board coming in, which is why we had to sit back a little bit and stabilise this year."

The Rebels are also going to have to fight to retain the services of their two better players, Anna Scarlett and Stephanie Bond, as they near the end of their tertiary education.

"They can't study for life," Muir said of her outstanding defenders. "That's inherent with being Dunedin. Players will come here to go to university and then leave again."

Muir is confident there will be options to replace her when she finishes her coaching career.

- NZPA

National Bank Cup squads and draw