Wehrung primed for the 2016 season

By Kasey Cornwell 

A local favourite, the 2015 Rush co-captain Abbey Wehrung returns to Ballarat for the 2016 SEABL season.

Abbey’s motivation is definitely up, she is really excited about the team that has been put together and she is super excited for what her and the Rush can achieve this year. Wehrung is looking forward to donning the blue and gold again to play for wins!

Wehrung comes off a disappointing WNBL season with Canberra, only winning 2 games, after last years SEABL season where she and the team managed only 6 wins. She thinks she has dealt with a lot of adversity with her basketball over the past 2 seasons, but has come out the other side a lot stronger for it. She said results like that have challenged her, but have taught her to make the most of every opportunity.

Abbey has put in the hard yards over the WNBL season, and has spent a lot of extra time on the training court and in the gym. She can see her improvement and her motivation to improve, and help the team get the win has not dampened.

While she is only 20 years old her basketball career spans back 11 years when she played school basketball in Melton. It was shortly thereafter in under 14s when she represented Ballarat, and every season after that she made the representative team. Abby made her first Vic Country team in under 16s, only 5 years after picking up a basketball. She then made this team for the next 5 years.  Wehrung even made the Under 17s Australian side, and was able to play basketball throughout Europe. Playing with the best of the best for her age group, was a huge development opportunity for her. It was after this that Abby got selected to go to the Australian Institute of Sport and this is where her current WNBL side, the Canberra Capitals, picked her up.

Despite spending a lot of time in Canberra, Ballarat is where Abbey feels at home. Being able to live at home with her family and animals and being such a short distance from the club and being around friends and team-mates.

Abbey is refreshed for this season ahead, despite only just finishing the WNBL season, she has had a family holiday and returns back to training excited to be back on the court. Wehrung feels good physically and mentally and believes that she will be a great asset to the team.

The Ballarat Rush has recruited strongly over the off season and Abbey is happy that Ballarat has recruited good people as well as good players. From training there is a good vibe within the team, she likes the added height players like Joy Burke add to the roster and the way the new players such as Kerryn Harrington fit seamlessly into the line-up.

On new Head Coach Dave Flint, Abbey notes his similar enthusiasm to his predecessor Peter Cunningham. She is enjoying the change in coaching and loves learning new styles of play, she has loved the training sessions, and could not wait to get back out onto the training court.

Abbey just wants to get wins on the board this year, and she will contribute to this, however necessary. Leading the team is also important, and she wants the team to stick together for the season ahead and sees playoffs as a genuine prospect.

 

See Abbey Wehrung and the Ballarat Rush take on Bendigo in the SEABL season opener on 1 April 2016, tip off at 6:00pm at the Mars Minerdome.