CVNA dares to dream of state championships glory

A BUOYANT Central Victorian Netball Association (CVNA) is vowing to seize its moment at the Association Championships in Melbourne on Sunday.

The CVNA will have two hopes of titles honours, after its 15-and-under and 13-and-under teams qualified at the Northern Zone qualifiers in Bendigo a fortnight ago.

Leading the charge will be the 15-and-under team – coached by Sandhurst’s four-time A-grade premiership coach Tamara Gilchrist – which completed an almost rags to riches tale in qualifying for this weekend’s finals at the State Netball Centre.

After failing to reach the finals in either of its two earlier tournaments in Echuca and Bendigo, the CVNA stunned its rivals to claim gold at the zone qualifiers on June 15.

A 16-9 grand final win over Wimmera capped an unbeaten tournament for the association, which included 10 minor round wins and a come-from-behind semi-final win against Central Murray.

Gilchrist said their shock tournament win was “totally unexpected”.

“As a coach, you always love the tournament season, but this has definitely been one of the more rewarding ones,” she said.

“I took on the 15s this year because I knew a lot of the crew that we won the state 13-and-under title with last year would be trying out.

“Once you get invested, you like to see their development out.

“I knew it would be a young side and, in the end, I’ve got a team of 10, six of them bottom-agers and four top-agers.

“They’ve proven to be little fighters.”

Despite the upset nature of their tournament win, Gilchrist admitted the team had not been far off the top sides in their two previous efforts.

“While we didn’t make finals in our first two tournaments in Echuca and Central Vic, we lost what games we did by only two or three goals,” she said.

“The biggest loss in the Central Vic tournament was by three goals and we actually beat the team that won it, so we knew we were around the mark.

“But Sunday week ago, the girls just took it to a new level and were undefeated against all the teams we played at Central Vic.

“The girls were phenomenal – such a talented team.

“They have really brought the best out of each other and played their little hearts out.”

Gilchrist said while the Association Championships would be another big step up in competition, her players had repeatedly shown their ability to elevate their game to a new level.

“Credit to them, they just never give up,” she said.

The 15-and-unders will be joined in Melbourne by the 13-and-unders after they finished runners-up to Echuca in the zone qualifiers.

Coached by Lauren Coghill, the 13-and-unders lost only two of 10 games for the day, to Central Murray and Echuca.

CVNA teams:

15-and-under team: Lexi Arundell, Rehmi Burke, Elle Gilchrist, Lily Gillespie, Harper Gordon, Evie Gretgrix, Isabel Hanson, Sienna Raco, Lily Teuma, Macy White.

13-and-under team: Alana Borchard, Alexis Caruana, Daisy Costello, Milla Dalton, Poppy Gladstone, Ruby Kelly. Indie Kramer, Elle Macumber, Sophie Mahony, Ruby Polson, Marlie Skinner.