A DEFECTION of sorts is what former Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander calls it: changing up to better a rival.
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Really, these are the shake-up our sporting landscape needs as club start - again - to emerge from pandemic restrictions hampering competitions, especially in our winter sports.
This is how the game gets better.
Alexander took up an offer for a development role with Superleague club netball coach London Pulse in the United Kingdom. Former Ballarat Sovereigns goaler Sacha McDonald, struggling to get consistent game time with Super Netball club Melbourne Vixens, announced last week she would follow Alexander with her game.
In Ballarat Football League, the biggest signing has been Dan Jordan's return. But to Darley - an eastern bloc club.
The East Point power forward, captain-turned-coach, for so long tried to spearhead the Kangaroos to an elusive first premiership to reinforce a union between two old rival clubs. They came close in the early 2000s.
Jordan has spent the best part of a decade working in the AFL system with Essendon. He returns to a much changed league in which the Roos are reigning premiers, having won and gone back-to-back in a competition unable to produce a new title holder the past two seasons since.
The 2006 Henderson medallist, four-time Tony Lockett medallist as league leading goal-kicker and Ballarat Football League Hall of Famer has told media it is a "bittersweet" feeling to return in different colours. Jordan said East Point was still dear to him but, with a solid coaching panel at their helm, he now looked forward to coaching against the Roos.
In a time when a lot of clubs are rightfully reappointing coaches with plenty of unfinished business and for a sense of stability when competition finally plays out proper, this adds some spice.
If this were a hyped-up American sporting contest, we could expect some steely stares at showdown one.
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What we will get is a great move for Darley to draw on Jordan's wealth of experience in player development to help kick the Devils back into gear.
Jordan has made clear he is passionate about supporting a junior program and working on opportunities with a grassroots club in which he felt he could make a real difference.
He might not be returning a Roo, but Jordan is still bringing back an incredible perspective to better the BFL.
Work to better the club can only help to fuel the competition to keep improving and aiming higher.
This is what Alexander will do, even indirectly, from her London post.
Alexander, who lived in Avoca, has said there is a wealth of untapped netball talent in England.
Often the nation's best players find their way into Australian and New Zealand competition in pushing their games to the highest levels.
At Pulse, Alexander knows she will be driving development for future Roses.
Ironically, Australia still feels the Roses thorns inflicted on an Alexander-led Diamonds in the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal match on home soil. Next year the Games return on English courts.
Defection? Not really. This is a chance to add some spice and keep pushing the competition to improve.
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