2 days Ago By Kieran Iles
CALIVIL United's netball future looks bright after winning a 15-and-under premiership and playing off in all three junior grand finals at Mitiamo last Saturday. or signup to continue reading On a day headlined by Mitiamo's stirring A-grade premiership win and dominated by Marong, which finished with a perfect five wins from five grand finals, the Demons were the only other LVFNL club to emerge with a flag. They nabbed the 15-and-under premiership with a 51-47 win over Bridgewater.
A hard-fought victory made it back-to-back triumphs in the age group for the Demons, who beat the Mean Machine 42-38 last season. Calivil United came up just short of victory in the 13-and-under grand final, beaten 25-21 by Marong, and lost the 17-and-under premiership decider 43-38 to Marong. Victorious 15-and-under coach Karen Pascoe said players in all three Calivil United teams on grand final could hold their heads high after representing the club with honour.
"We are very proud of having three kids teams in grand finals together, especially our younger 13s and 15s," she said. "They are 90 per cent Calivil kids. We don't necessarily bring people out from town.
"I think we had one in the 13s and one in the 15s, but most of them are kids who go to school out in the sticks together and they love it." Pascoe praised her players' spirit and resilience in bouncing back from a seven-goal semi-final loss to the Mean Machine, to reverse the result on grand final day. "It was a very tough win and a very hard-fought game from the start," she said.
"We did get a very good jump on them in the first quarter, which was handy to have on a windy day. "The last time we played them, Bridgewater got ahead by seven in the first half, so getting that strong lead was an important factor." The win was highlighted by a standout game by centre Chloe Tweed.
It was back-to-back best on court medals in grand finals for Tweed, who claimed the honours in last year's 15-and-under premiership triumph at Inglewood. "She just lifts when the team needs to lift and keeps them very calm," Pascoe said. "She's our rock.
"Chloe was also our best on court in the first final, when we lost to Bridgewater. Just an amazing player to watch and so consistent. "Ruby Cullen in the goal circle played a brilliant game and Paige Smith at goal shooter.
"But honestly it was a full-court effort by the girls and that was what was needed." The premiership line-up was further bolstered by this year's league best and fairest medallist Teagan Vinnicombe, who battled through injuries late in the season. The grand final pitted the minor premiers (Calivil United) against the team that finished the home and away season in second place.
Mitiamo again proved a happy hunting ground for Pascoe on LVFNL grand final day. She previously coached the Demons to an A-grade premiership win over YCW in 2014 at the same venue. "It's 10 years between drinks for me as a coach, so it's good to be back on the board," she said.
Pascoe hoped an exciting run with their juniors - the Demons won last year's 13-and-under and 15-and-under flags - would eventually lead to brighter days at senior level. "We are going through a bit of a yellow patch in seniors at the moment, but we are hoping these talented juniors stick around and keep playing for the club," she said. "They are very talented kids out here, so they do often head into the Bendigo league and have a crack there, which we encourage.
"Hopefully in a few years we will see some of these juniors leading the way in our senior ranks." While the 17-and-under team, coached by Alex Ingram, succumbed to the Panthers on grand final day, it was nevertheless a massive achievement. The team, which made its way into the grand final from third place, rarely trained together all season, and only once as a full group.
"A lot of our girls play (with different teams) in Bendigo in the CVNA div one competition and a lot of them were also playing rep netball, so it didn't leave a lot of time to train," Ingram said. "I was also worried about injuries - some of them were playing five or six times a week. "So we only actually only started training as a team six to eight weeks ago.
"And we actually only had our first training session as a full team (last) Thursday night. "It was a great effort to get this far. "We are a very young team.
My goal attack Elodie Sharman is only 14 and a couple of the defenders are only 15. "Four could have actually played 15-and-under this year, but we pushed them up. "They did a good job.
They tried their hearts out, but it just wasn't our day." Ingram also said it was the proud day for the Demons to have all three junior teams represented on grand final day. A bright spot for the Demons in their 13-and-under grand final appearance was their captain Zali Cullen winning the best on court medal.
Bec Cullen was coach of the youngest Demons. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis.
WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Sunday explore destinations, deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around Australia and the globe.
WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground.
Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday.
WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks.
DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!.
