Mooroopna’s young netballers have a busy Sunday ahead at Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve as the Goulburn Valley League prepares for grand final day.
The Cats will bring their 15-and-under and 17-and-under sides to the big dance at the Deakin Reserve courts, with the former due for a showdown with Echuca and the latter set to tangle with Shepparton.
The elder of the two teams made the big stage last year, falling at the last hurdle against Echuca, but Mooroopna is now presented with two chances to break its long-standing netball hoodoo.
Mooroopna’s 17-and-under mentor Bree Hanslow has credited the efforts of a broad network of coaching staff for helping each squad of girls advance this far.
“They’re (grand finals) really hard to get to,” Hanslow said.
“To have that in the 15s and the 17s is super exciting for this club.
“We’ve had a lot of encouraging messages come through from players, committee and parents.
“We’ve got a coaching group that we work with, especially with our juniors.
“It’s definitely a communal effort, so the girls have been pretty lucky to have all that help.”
The Cats’ 15-and-under team will be brimming with confidence coming up against Echuca after putting on a massive second-half turnaround to sink the Murray Bombers in their semi-final meeting.
The 15-and-under outfit boasts talented junior Rhani Hendy, who is fresh off winning the league’s Jacqui Hudgson Medal on Monday night.
However, the 17-and-under side had to take the longer route after a qualifying final defeat against Shepparton forced it to go through Kyabram and Shepparton Swans to receive a second chance at the Bears in the decider.
Hanslow commended the year-round effort from the two playing groups to build throughout the season and eventually put themselves in a position for these rewards.
“They did their pre-season work from home during the Christmas break, so it’s been a huge lead-up to now,” Hanslow said.
“(There has been) lots of fun along the way and they’re a fantastic group of girls, so it makes it easy to work with them when they’re happy to rock up to training.”
Hanslow acknowledges that the club’s schedules likely differ from most, as the two netball teams only train once weekly, with the players undertaking a range of outside commitments.
She relishes the challenges ahead of both teams and their support staff on Sunday.
“It (the 15-and-under semi-final) was a game of two halves,” Hanslow said.
“It just goes to show that any game is anyone’s for the taking in finals.
“They should be really good contests and I’m excited for the girls to have the opportunity to get out there and play.”