By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham senior women’s coach Rob Dielemans has stood down from his role at the Warriors for family reasons.
Dielemans’ 26-year-old son Mitch is an NBL-1 point guard with his coaching commitments limiting his ability to attend his son’s games, helping to formulate the decision.
Dielemans was at the helm for two seasons, instilling a clear game plan for the group which propelled them into finals in 2024 after finishing second-last on the table last season.
It was an improvement from a 6-12 to 12-10 record, underscoring the team’s growth in several areas.
The coach was clear and upfront in his expectation to play finals in 2024, with his team not only achieving that goal, but also winning a final.
Under his watch, the club recruited key players Breanna Mackenzie and Briahna Whatman and youngsters Stella O’Loughlin and Hayley Letts continued their emergence.
“We achieved what I think we were capable of,” Dielemans said.
“With what we had, I thought we were capable of being the fourth best team.
“The support from the girls and assistant coaches and effort around that was unbelievably good and was probably why we succeeded.”
After losing a string of tight games last season, an emphasis on scenario-based training gave them a better record in the close finish in 2024, coming to the fore in a comeback win over Sunbury in the first round of finals.
“Defensively we were pretty good last year and about the same this year but I felt like we did a much better job of executing at the offensive end,” Dielemans said.
“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity the club gave me and them entrusting me to take the program forward.”
