Goulburn Valley contingent takes flight at Netball Victoria State Titles, with one side a grand finalist

Action kicked off early Saturday and from that point on more than 48 hours of fast and frenetic action adorned the courts across five divisions, with the Goulburn side fielding outfits in the 15-and-under and 17-and-under categories.

In mirroring last year’s representation, the two sides took on a quick-fire round-robin against comers from all corners of the state across 18 regions and the elder squad found some particularly good fortune.

In truth, both sides battled admirably, with the 15-and-under girls boasting an even ledger with three games left before rattling off nothing but wins down the home stretch to ultimately finish ninth.

Meanwhile, the 17-and-under side was powering through teams left and right, at one stage boasting a record of 12 wins and a draw with finals qualification secured well ahead of time.

A couple of late slips during the group stage mattered little with a second-placed finish the result, securing automatic passage to a preliminary final where the Goulburn girls took care of business in a 14-13 thriller over Elmer.

It was a clash of one and two with Gippsland awaiting in the decider, Goulburn already having drastically improved on its 12th placing from last year.

The Gippslanders proved too strong in what was both teams’ 18th hit-out of the carnival, though, claiming the title in a 12-9 triumph.

Henderson took 15-and-under honours on Monday afternoon after defeating Barwon 14-10.

Coach Bree Hanslow lauded the turnaround, citing continuity among her cohort as a catalyst for success.

“We didn’t make finals last year, but then to have our 17s through was super exciting,” Hanslow said.

“Our 15s had some tough games on their first day, but had some really good results on the Sunday and Monday, so it was all good.

“We had quite a few girls who were playing again after having the experience from Bendigo last year and it really helped.

“We had a lot of girls in our 17s who were runners-up at the 2023 titles in the 15s, so it’s a team which has a lot of talent coming through with good performances.”

Needless to say, it’s an optimistic window for the junior netballers coming up in our region.

In a 12-month span which has seen not only an improvement at the state titles, but also the continued development of junior interleague among other things, Hanslow takes a rosy view after overseeing more than 30 combined games in a weekend among the two sides.

“Rose (Byrne) and Rhani (Hendy) were our captains and they did a great job leading the girls,” Hanslow said.

“They had the job of making sure the girls stayed fresh and had energy. They’re both very professional given how young they are and both exceptionally talented as well.

“There’s so much talent in Victoria, but to have some of the local girls come through and playing against the best is very exciting for the homegrown quality we’re producing.”