TEARS of both joy and sadness were shed in Cohuna on Saturday as Balranald beat the Mallee Eagles, securing a spot in the 2022 A Grade grand final.
The physicality and intensity of the contest demonstrated how much each team wanted the chance to play in the big match against Swan Hill this week.
Having beaten the Roos just two weeks ago in the qualifying final, the Eagles were favourites heading into the match. However, the Roos proved they deserved a spot in the biggest game of the year, getting up by seven goals over the Eagles in a hard fought battle.
Eagles coach Vicki McDonald said she was proud of how far her team got in the finals series, and believed her girls shouldn’t be disappointed by their efforts.
“I went into the game knowing it could go any way,” McDonald said.
“Balranald were the best on the day, and they played really really well and they deserve to be in the grand final.
“They matched us to perfection.”
Roos playing coach Jess Parry was understandably a little lost for words after the match, saying a grand final place had been “a big dream” for her and her team for the past few years.
“A lot of these girls have been at Balranald their whole life and stuck it out when times weren’t so good, so just to see those girls and the netball club rewarded with an appearance in the grand final is huge for us and something to be really excited about,” Parry said.
“We’ll enjoy the win and then we work hard for the grand final because we will be going there to win that’s for sure.”
Heading into the crucial last week of training before the grand final against Swan Hill, Parry said the Roos will be looking to focus on their strengths in order to come home with the trophy.
“This team has got plenty of heart to win it – they play for each other and they play for the club,” she said.
“Obviously we will look at the way Swan Hill play a bit, but in saying that we won’t be altering the way we play too much.
“We are confident with how we play our netball and we are going to put on the best performance we have for the season hopefully.”
Final whistle
Mallee Eagles 50
Balranald 57
