The 28-year-old has landed the Blues’ senior netball coaching job after three years at the helm of Melton, which she guided to a Ballarat league grand final in 2012.

Woodroffe, a playing coach, said it was always the plan to one day return to Ballan, but admitted the homecoming had occurred a little sooner than first expected.

She said she believed the club had great potential, but had “never taken that next step”.

“Of course I would have liked to have had a bit more coaching experience under my belt before I came back, but I think the club needed a little bit more professionalism to come in,” Woodroffe said.

“The main expectation is to have the girls training to their highest ability and learning the way of the Ballarat league with their structures and everything like that, which I think in the Central Highlands will really put them in good stead for the season.”

Woodroffe, who has previously coached junior teams at Ballan, will be joined at the club by former Melton teammate Amy Conroy, who arrives to bolster the centre court.

The Blues will begin  pre-season training at the start of next month ahead of the Central Highlands Netball League season opener against Daylesford on April 5.