In a team that also featured two players from nearby Echuca in Milla Ryan and Luella Williams and was coached by Echuca and District Netball Association’s Betty McCoomb, Keele and Watson saw their side finish seventh out of 18 teams in its age group.
“We’ve got quite a strong team with lots of versatility in it, abilities to play multiple positions,“ McCoomb said.
“Not an overly tall team, but a very dynamic and fast team with the ability to take on the body, take on the game and move the ball quickly and efficiently.”
That style led the North Central Region under-15s to nine wins from their 17 games, losing six and drawing the other two.
The result was a vast improvement on a 4-13 record at last year’s state titles and a seventh-place finish broke a trend of placing 14th in each of the previous three editions.
“They are not afraid of driving hard and taking the ball, so they won't stop, they'll go and take it,“ McCoomb said of her players.
“We’ve got a never-say-die attitude and any loose ball on the court is ours, and we’re happy to chase it and take it.”
Two Bays, Henderson, Goulburn, Jika, Elmer and Dandenong Valley were the six sides who placed above North Central in the under-15s, with Two Bays going on to win the grand final against Goulburn.
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