The future of netball in the region is so bright, shades may be required.
Goulburn Valley League’s fledgling talents broke out a blazing display at the North East Association Championships on Sunday, with the 15-and-under and 17-and-under outfits white-hot on the way to their respective big dances.
The young stars eclipsed the opposition and took out both grand finals, meaning a trio of GVL sides – including the open outfit – will head to Melbourne for the State Association Championships Finals Day on June 18.
That’s not to say getting there was easy.
Rain pelted down on the Shepparton Netball Association courts at the weekend, making the 15-and-under side’s seven straight wins all the more remarkable.
“They were challenging conditions on Sunday – we got rained on all day – so the girls did a great job to manage their way through all that,” coach Bree Hanslow said.
“To go through the whole day undefeated was a real credit to the talent we’ve got in the GV under-15 comp.
“In the final, the girls were probably the most composed they’d been throughout the whole day and I would say that’s probably what snuck us in to get the victory ― the composure all through the court and our intensity, finishing it off when it mattered.”
Though they applied the heat all morning, an ice-cold finish was required in the afternoon.
The GVL snuck home by two goals against Wangaratta Netball Association in the semi-final, backing it up in the decider by beating Netball Wodonga 16-15.
Hanslow indicated the communal effort given by each of her girls in purple made the flawless run possible, with no passengers present on the way to the podium.
“There were a number of players that did a great job, but the main thing that stood out for me with this group was the depth that we’ve got,” she said.
“We had different combinations all through the day and all of those worked really well.
“Being able to rotate between the group and everyone contributed which was fantastic, and it probably helped us with having a bit more rest and fresh legs come the games that mattered at the end.”
While the 15-and-under side had ice in its veins to hold firm in the finals, for the 17-and-under contingent, an ice-cold dish of revenge was served to its opponent Ovens and Murray in the last match.
Latoya Wards’ side won five of eight group games, going 1-1 against the O&M during pool play before toppling Albury Netball Association 14-11 to punch its ticket to the grand final.
With an interleague loss to its country rival the week prior fresh in the memory, something stirred within the GVL outfit.
“We definitely went into that game wanting to redeem ourselves after going down to them at interleague the week prior,” Wards said.
“The girls were on top of their game saying ‘we can get this done’.
“The fact that they just kept on surging ahead and everything we had worked on and asked of ourselves that day, they put into practice in the grand final and semi-final when it really counted.”
Laser sharp accuracy from goalers Sienna Burke and Claudia Plattfuss, paired with tireless work by sister duo Keely and Mackenzie O’Dwyer meant the side in purple took the lead – and did not drop it in their third dance of the day with O&M.
Wards estimated her side’s shooting accuracy sat at about ‘98 per cent’ in the final, and it showed as the GVL soared to a 21-12 victory.
With all three of the league’s sides destined to take to the State Netball Centre next month, Hanslow said the entire group was amped for the big stage.
“We’ll have a lot more matches when we head down there – I think between 10-12 games that day – so it will be a huge amount of netball,” she said.
“It will be really good for the country girls, they wouldn’t have played indoors many times, so it should be a great experience.”
The coaches also wished to thank their team trainers as well as GVL board chair Jacqui Hudgson and AFL Goulburn Murray head of operations Jo Spencer and all others behind the scenes.