It’s been six months and 14 days since that cold, windy day last September, a day etched in the memory of the Balranald faithful who witnessed history being made.
Even with their side down by 11 goals during the second quarter of the A grade netball grand final, those in blue and white – and there were plenty of them – still believed.
And not even the howling wind or showers of rain could dampen the spirits of their team, who turned the game on its head, and came back to record the club’s first A grade premiership.
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before – seeing people who have dedicated their entire lives to the club with tears in their eyes is something I’ll treasure forever,” coach Jess Parry recalled.
“People like Bronwyn Brougham, Lisa Jolliffe, Dee Jess, Lita Anderson, ladies who have been there a long time and put in an enormous amount of work, especially when things weren’t going so well – to see the emotion on their faces was something pretty special.
“It wasn’t just about those of us that were on court that day, but it was for the generations of women before us and the work that they’d put into the club – to see that hard work come to fruition, that was the real reward.”
While Balranald went into the grand final against Swan Hill as underdogs, they were very much the popular pick among the neutral supporters. They had survived an arduous finals campaign, that involved an extra time win over Lake Boga and a table turning seven-goal victory over the Mallee Eagles in the preliminary final before overcoming the Swans in the big one.
One of those who had dedicated a large chunk of their life to the cause was Bronwyn Brougham, who was not only invested through her tireless work around club, but also through her daughter Elli-Jane, who is now Balranald’s only premiership winning goal keeper.
“I’m still speechless to be honest – some days, even now, I don’t think it’s sunk in that it actually happened,” Brougham said.
“It was a very emotional ride, but on the day I think everyone thought all the decades of hard work and patience, it was all worth it for that moment alone.
“During the game, when we were 11 goals down, I think everyone thought it was over – at that point we just hoped they would come back and not let the game blow out.”
Not only did Balranald not let the game blow out, but they fought their way back to trail by six at the main break. And while most expected Swan Hill to respond, Parry knew better.
“I remember when I first moved up to Balranald and saw so many of the local girls still involved in the club and just trying their hearts out even though the results hadn’t been going their way,” she said.
“Watching them train, I thought to myself that these girls could play, but they just needed a bit more belief that they were good enough – and then to see so many local girls on that court and a part of that history making win, that’s what made it so special for me.
“It was pretty emotional – I know as a coach you always dream of winning a flag, and coming up to Balranald I thought how good would it be if we could win one, while not realising that they hadn’t ever won one.”
The scenes following the win from the Balranald fans who travelled south to witness history was not unlike the halcyon days of the late 2000’s, when Balranald were on top of the football tree.
It was a proud sight for Brougham, who still gets emotional thinking back to that day and what it meant to her tight-knit community.
“Looking back at some of the photos that were taken that day and it was just a sea of blue and white – there were just Balranald people everywhere,” Brougham said.
“It was honestly just a dream come true for the whole town.
“The entire Balranald community got behind them – not just the footy and netball club, the whole community.
“As you drove over the bridge at Balranald there were signs and streamers everywhere, and then when you got to the bridge at Murray Downs, again it was just a sea of blue and white – driving there that day you could feel the love and the energy, it was just incredible.”
For the group of girls who achieved greatness that day, they now share an unbreakable bond. And even though it wasn’t Parry’s first medallion (she has won five others with her home club Navarre) that special bond with her Balranald teammates is now invaluable.
“We all get along so well off the court, we’re all similar personalities – that’s what makes it so special,” Parry said.
“Winning a grand final and having that celebration, it just creates a bond between your group that can’t be broken.
“Now we’ve got reunions to look forward to, we’ve got an excuse to be together and celebrate something remarkable that we were all able to achieve.”
But as joyous an occasion as last year was, that was then and this is now.
Balranald’s A Grade team knows they are no longer the hunters, but are instead the hunted.
But Parry is confident that her team is up to the task.
“We’re in unfamiliar territory, which is exciting for us too, but we’ve prepared as well as we can and I think we’ll give it a really good shot again,” Parry said.
“We’ve had a couple of girls move on from our senior squad and a couple that have suffered injuries that will keep them out of playing this season, but our numbers are looking good and I’m confident we’ll still be very competitive.
“With that said, we’re realistic too – we know how long we had to wait and how much hard work and dedication it took to get us to where we did last year and everyone else is going to be wanting that same result too.
“We’re well aware that there’s a lot of hard work to do before we can even think about getting back there again – but we’ll approach this season in the same way we have previously, that being our first aim is to just make the finals and then we’ll build on it from there.”
