A tough decision looms for the Southern Steel at the end of the season.
Injuries to two of its shooters have left it with a barren-looking shooting line-up this year.
It has found two very competent replacements in Tiana Metuarau and English import George Fisher.
But Jennifer O’Connell and Georgia Heffernan are tracking well to be back in the mix next year.
The duo both went down with ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments within weeks of each other last season.
It made for a long rehabilitation process for both.
Heffernan, the twin sister of midcourter Kate Heffernan, was set to make her return to club netball today, Bloxham said.
She would likely play a quarter.
Meanwhile, O’Connell was not far away.
The duo had been named in the National Netball League’s Southern Blast, the feeder team to the Steel.
Whether they took to the court this year remained a question, although Bloxham was not ruling it out.
She said both had been working hard and had remained very much on the team’s radar.
"I think it’s important as a team, as a franchise and as a coach that I’ve kept a close eye on where they’re at and we’ve supported them through their rehab," Bloxham said.
"I’m extremely pleased with how hard they’ve worked to get back into a space where they can take the netball court and just enjoy what they enjoy doing."
O’Connell has been with the Steel since 2017 and in 2018 was its starting goal shooter, proving pivotal in the final minutes as it snatched victory in a close final.
Heffernan played for the side as a training partner in 2019, joining it as a contracted player last year.
How they will fit back in will be of interest.
If Fisher was keen to come back it would be hard to say no, the 22-year-old being exceptional in her first five games, Bloxham said.
Metuarau had also been impressive, showing a slick passing game and rebounding well, alongside making a handful of shots.
"It is going to make some tough decisions.
"I think it’s a really good space to be in knowing you’ve got some quality shooters here now, but you’ve also got some really good homegrown talent.
"I think it’ll be a tough decision come on tracking time."
