Something incredible is building at Victorian Netball League side City West Falcons, and a number of Goulburn Valley League netball stars are at the heart of it.
The Falcons clinched their sixth VNL Championship title on Wednesday night, overcoming Geelong Cougars in a thrilling come-from-behind 49-47 grand final win.
Shepparton A-grader and Wellman medallist Jacinta Todd was part of the Falcons’ coaching panel again this year, offering the side a wealth of experience at the top level.
Todd said to take home a premiership after the pandemic had disrupted the past two VNL seasons had been a fantastic reward.
“I’m on a complete high; it’s an absolutely unreal feeling,” she said.
“To consider COVID has cancelled VNL seasons for the last two years, to win after all of that is absolutely amazing.
“It was a tough game, we came from behind to win by two goals, I’m super proud.”
After an absolute classic in the semi-final, which saw the Falcons surge past the Cougars by five goals in overtime, Geelong went on to book a grand final rematch with a dominant 57-39 preliminary final win over Melbourne University Lightning.
The Falcons rose again on the big stage and Todd said it required a huge effort from her players to get the job done in the grand final.
“It was just as much of a thriller as the semi-final and I think we knew that was going to be the case,” Todd said.
“We always knew it was going to be tough — we knew that we had to come out hard, but they hit us hard early and we had to come back again like we did in the semis.
“To do that a second time around, and come through with the goods, is just amazing.”
Shepparton United star Zoe Davies was a major catalyst for the Falcons’ comeback and clinched best-on-court, backing up her MVP performance in the City West 2018 championship win.
Davies took her game to another level in the final term, with several crucial intercepts and turnovers that turned the game on its head.
While Davies’ Dees teammate Jessie Barnes-Hill and Seymour star defender Sarah Szczykulski did not feature in the big dance, they nevertheless were a big part of the side’s overall success.
“The MVP of the night was Zoe Davies, she had a very solid game and she was very consistent across four quarters,” Todd said.
“Jessie was an emergency player for us this year and played a few important games with us throughout the year.
“Sarah was one of our main defenders across the year, she didn’t take the court but her presence on the bench and support was fantastic — she’s a real team person.”
Having now done it as a coach and a player, Todd said the championship success was certainly a highlight on a long list of netballing achievements across her storied career.
“It’s definitely up there,” she said.
“It’s a big coaching highlight, to have won it as a player at that level, and now to win it as a coach, I’m just absolutely stoked.
“I don’t know if many people have done that before.”
A handful of GVL stars also stole the show in the 19-and-under decider earlier that night, with Rochester’s Teal Hocking, Tatura’s Elsie Boyer and Shepparton United’s Sophie Garner all involved in City West Falcons’ 62-47 grand final win over Southern Saints.
Hocking claimed MVP in the finale after a scintillating shooting display.