Lindenow’s under 15s finished their season on a high, taking home the premiership trophy after beating Paynesville by four goals.
Paynesville went in as the underdog side, placing fourth on the ladder after the home and away season, working hard to earn a spot in the grand final against the ladder leader Cats.
It was a tight first quarter, with the nerves showing on both sides.
Lindenow kept the pressure up as the ball moved down the court, with little separating the two teams.
Strong shooting from Paynesville’s Pippa Lawrence and Abbey Vernon kept the Gulls crowd excited, pushing ahead to lead by one goal at the quarter time break.
The Gulls continued to hold strong in the second quarter, with Lindenow moving almost too fast down the court, causing stepping and footwork penalties.
The Cats didn’t drop their heads, piling on the pressure to pull ahead by three goals by half time.
Lindenow’s defensive pressure didn’t falter in the third quarter, quickly bringing the ball down and into shooters Claudia Blandford and Tanika Krambehr, who moved effortlessly around the goal ring.
By the end of the third quarter, the Cats had extended the lead to seven goals.
It was Paynesville’s time to lift in the final quarter, and with the crowd behind them, the Gulls did just that, laying on the goals to narrow the margin.
Despite the last quarter lift, Lindenow was too far ahead, sealing the win.
Lindenow’s Claudia Blandford was named best-on-court for her consistent match in the goal ring.
Final score: Lindenow 43 d Paynesville 39.
UNDER 17 THRILLER
Wy Yung’s under 17s side took out the grand final win in a come-from-behind thriller against Lakes Entrance, with plenty of action in the junior game.
The Seagulls came out firing in the first quarter, smoothly working the ball down to shooters Matilda Richardson and Emma Yates, while messy passing from the Tigers let them down.
By the end of the first quarter, the Seagulls had established a seven-goal lead.
Lakes Entrance held onto its momentum throughout the second quarter, with its vocal supporters cheering the team on, before Wy Yung turned the tide in the third quarter.
After the Lakes Entrance goal keeper was sent off for two minutes, Wy Yung made the most of the advantage, narrowing the margin to two goals by three quarter time.
The final quarter turned into a goal-for-goal nail-biter, with every goal and intercept vital.
However it was Wy Yung who came out on top, scraping in to win by one goal.
Lakes Entrance’s Lucy Carroll was named best-on-court for her excellent work in goal defence.
Final score: Wy Yung 25 d Lakes Entrance 24.
