Nagambie was unable to cap its stand-out Kyabram District League A-grade netball season with a grand final appearance, falling at the final hurdle in a thrilling preliminary final against Dookie United on Sunday afternoon.
With the winner to face Tallygaroopna in the big dance, United blew the heavily favoured Nagambie out of the water with a 16-to-seven opening quarter.
The Thunder would then hold their nerve over the following three quarters, seeing off a fast-finishing Lakers unit to secure the 43-37 upset win in front of a raucous crowd at Girgarre Recreation Reserve.
A disappointing way to end a season full of positives for Nagambie, coach Katie Sullivan said it simply wasn’t her team’s day.
“It was a pretty tough day for Lakers netball, we lost in the under-17s in the morning and then B-grade had a loss in the game before we followed suit in the A-grade which was disappointing,” Sullivan said.
“For us in the A-grade it was basically just the first quarter that cost us, we failed to execute our best early in the game and Dookie put together a flawless first 15 minutes.
“And although we fought hard to get back into it, the deficit was just too much for us in the end.”
Following the slow start, Nagambie could have easily gone back into its shell.
But to the girls credit they put their heads down and went to work, as they slowly but surely got the game back on their terms and cut into Dookie United’s lead.
However, the Lakers were unable to get close enough to really challenge the Thunder’s lead through the second and third terms, with their class and experience allowing them to settle the game down and add critical scores in decisive moments.
Still finding itself well adrift come the last change, it was Hail Mary time for Sullivan and her troops, with their hopes of a grand final quickly slipping away.
And while they managed to muster an impressive final quarter surge, it would all be in vain, as Dookie United found itself six goals clear as the final siren sounded.
“The girls can certainly hold their heads high, there was no questioning the effort and each quarter we kept pegging the deficit back, showing that our best netball is good enough,” Sullivan said.
“We needed a fifth quarter (to get over the top of them), but at the end of the day that’s life, we weren’t good enough on the day.”
In terms of stand-outs, Maddison Biggs was the star for Nagambie with a dominant performance through the mid court, while Alicia White was a consistent presence in defence.
And despite the disappointing finish to the season, Sullivan reflected fondly on 2022 and the development of her group.
“The one thing we said last night was that it is important to focus on how great the season was, especially having blooded a lot of young talent throughout the year,” she said.
“To get so far in the finals series is great experience for this team and I have full confidence we will be able to take the next step next year.”