![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/15248119-91a3-4bb2-8_15736.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Cowling said Saturday’s win had brought enormous relief to everyone involved at Kangaroo Flat.<\/p>\n
“It’s unreal and certainly didn’t come easily \u2013 it was a great game,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Sandhurst were great. They pushed us every quarter and made us work all the way until the end.<\/p>\n
“But the girls just kept on working hard and were rewarded for their efforts.”<\/p>\n
Cowling, who led the Roos to B-grade and A-reserve premierships respectively in 2016 and 2017, before taking over the A-grade reins in 2018, hailed an accomplished grand final day performance as a good reflection of their season.<\/p>\n
“We were undefeated going into (grand final day), and while it wasn’t our main aim, we wanted to continue that and as a result we left nothing out there,” he said.<\/p>\n
The last team to go through the season undefeated was Golden Square in 2015.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 59-51 scoreline made it the second highest scoring A-grade grand final in league history<\/p>\n Only Kangaroo Flat’s 62-50 win over Golden Square in 2004 produced more goals.<\/p>\n For the Roos, grand final redemption was the overriding theme of their season.<\/p>\n “Everybody knew we had lost three since the last one, and we’d also gone out in straight sets (in 2023), so it has been a topic,” Cowling said.<\/p>\n “We didn’t want to be a team that continues to lose when it counts.<\/p>\n “To finally deliver and get that cup, it’s been a long time coming. Nine years.<\/p>\n “For the likes of (2016 premiership players) Chelsea Sartori, Ruby Barkmeyer, Milly Wicks and Alicia McGlashan to get back there, is really special.”<\/p>\n Back in the BFNL for the first time since 2018, Barkmeyer capped a stunning return by winning the best-on-court medal.<\/p>\n The five-year Melbourne Vixens player and training partner wound back the clock with another big-time performance on the biggest stage of them all in BFNL netball.<\/p>\n Now 24, Barkmeyer was the best-on-court medallist in the Roos’ last premiership win as a 15-year-old.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cowling branded her game as amazing.<\/p>\n “She hit the deck a bit and was pretty bruised and battered by the end of the game, but she was outstanding,” he said.<\/p>\n “She delivered when it mattered and controlled that attack end.<\/p>\n “Alongside her, Teal Hocking was outstanding. She hardly missed a goal all game.<\/p>\n “But I can’t fault anyone, from the starters to those who came on and did their job.”<\/p>\n In all, nine players took to the court for the Roos, with Cowling rolling the dice to give Ava Lowndes a run in defence after she had played in their A-reserve premiership win earlier in the day.<\/p>\n “I thought she changed things up for us in our defensive end for 15 or 20 minutes,” he said.<\/p>\n “She’s been in and out of A-grade over the years, but had one of her best seasons this year in A-reserve.<\/p>\n “I thought she could be a little trick up our sleeve we could use if needed and she delivered.”<\/p>\n “Abbey Ryan came on in goals at different times in the second half and did a good job.”<\/p>\n Cowling gave full praise to Sandhurst for an accomplished grand final performance.<\/p>\n “As much as we are rivals, on and of the court, the respect between the two clubs is definitely there,” he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “They made it tough and we went pretty hard at it.”<\/p>\n Represented in four grand finals, the Dragons managed only one win, claiming a thrilling one-goal victory in the opening match of the day, an epic 17-and-under contest against Strathfieldsaye.<\/p>\n A goal after the siren broke a 39-39 deadlock. Gisborne won both the B-grade and B-reserve flags.<\/p>\n Barkmeyer, who became the first player since Sandhurst’s Meg Williams in 2017-18 to win two best-on-court medals, was proud to see the Roos cap their great unbeaten season.<\/p>\n “It’s been a long build-up, so it’s great to have gotten the job done,” she said.<\/p>\n “We’ve worked pretty hard all year, so it was good to put together a good final 60 minutes the way we wanted to.<\/p>\n “It was pretty cool to go through undefeated, but it didn’t mean anything without a grand final win.”<\/p>\n Grand final results<\/p>\n A-grade: Kangaroo Flat 59 defeated Sandhurst 51<\/p>\n A-reserve: Kangaroo Flat 50 defeated Sandhurst 29<\/p>\n B-grade: Gisborne 55 defeated Kangaroo Flat 44<\/p>\n B-reserve: Gisborne 45 defeated Sandhurst 32<\/p>\n 17-and-under: Sandhurst 40 defeated Strathfieldsaye 39.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KANGAROO Flat has put years of grand final anguish in the rear vision mirror, consigning a nine-year premiership drought to history with an eight-goal grand final win over Sandhurst at the QEO. A stirring 59-51 triumph on Saturday delivered the Roos their ninth A-grade flag and put the exclamation mark on a perfect season. The […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/40ac6670-f695-4fde-a_17403.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/fc73542d-9e06-4927-b_18061.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/09\/12f462cf-95ca-4635-a_18729.jpg\")