Roos aiming for redemption in BFNL grand final

ONLY a premiership will satisfy Kangaroo Flat as the Roos look to erase the memories of a run of BFNL grand final losses.

While they have needed no reminding, the pain of last year’s two-goal defeat to Gisborne, after the Roos led by as many as nine goals, still burns at Dower Park.

So to do grand final defeats to Sandhurst in 2022 and 2019.

Off the back of an unbeaten season to date, the Roos, who last savoured premiership success in 2016, will get no better opportunity to atone.

Rapt to have earned a crack at redemption, Roos coach Jayden Cowling has learned to take nothing for granted.

“It’s been a long time coming – we’ve lost so many. It’s about time we won one,” he said. “(The losses) have hurt.

“We have a had a bit of bad luck on the way, so hopefully it’s our year. But it won’t just happen.

“It’s fortunate we have everyone fit and ready to go.

“Ash Ryan was injured and missed the finals one year (in 2022, making a cameo in the final minutes of the grand final), and in 2019 Kate Burton went down with an injury.

“Hopefully we can capitalise.”

While their home and away season was thoroughly dominant, Kangaroo Flat’s second semi-final victory over Sandhurst was anything but.

The Dragons led by four goals at every change, before the Roos rediscovered their mojo in the last for a 52-49 win.

While it’s comforting for him to know the Roos are capable of rising to the challenge when threatened – a rare occurrence this season – Cowling cautioned a repeat of that scenario might not have anywhere near as a successful ending.

“We can’t afford to have a lead of eight goals to claw back in a grand final,” he said.

“It wasn’t our best performance, but we did close the game out really well.

“We can take that confidence moving forward that we can win from behind, as we haven’t had that all year, but ideally it’s not where you want to be.

“If we play our game, we are capable of anything with a premiership up for grabs.”

There is no doubt the Roos have been built for premiership success, with a fruitful off-season delivering the collective talents of former Melbourne Vixen Ruby Barkmeyer, Bendigo Strikers goaler Teal Hocking and seasoned defender Alicia McGlashan, back from a stint at South Bendigo.

Added to Abbey Ryan (fifth in this year’s league medal count), Barkmeyer and Hocking have established themselves as the league’s dominant scoring force.

At the other end of the court, McGlashan has solidified the defence.

Cowling was thrilled to see McGlashan, one of the league’s best all-time defenders, get a crack at a seventh A-grade flag and eighth overall in green and white.

“She is such an experienced player and has been a real key for us, holding that defensive end together,” he said.

“She brings that experience we need.

 

“Ruby and Teal have brought that next level to our attack end.

“We’ve been lucky for so many years to have had such great goalers at our club, but they have added an extra dimension to our game.

“The three of them have been outstanding.”

Cowling paid full respect to Sandhurst for winning its way into the grand final, having had to dig deep in Saturday’s preliminary final.

He is eagerly looking forward to the next big instalment in one of Victorian country sports top rivalries.

“It’s quite fitting, there’s probably no bigger rivalry in Bendigo netball than Kangaroo Flat versus Sandhurst,” Cowling said.

“It’s the perfect way to end the season.

“Our game in the second week of finals was such a great one.

“They are coming good at the right time of the year, so it will be a very tough game.

“They are a quality side, so you know they’ll always be up and about at finals time.

“Their group won four premierships in a row, so there is a lot of experience there, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”

If a narrow semi-final loss to the Roos wasn’t enough motivation for the Dragons, Cowling believed they would have some extra incentive having missed out altogether on a grand final berth in 2024.

“I’m sure that hurt, but we are aware they have won multiple times,” he said.

“You can’t take a team like that lightly, as they everything to prove as well.”

A win to Kangaroo Flat would complete the first perfect season in BFNL A-grade netball since Golden Square achieved greatness in 2015.