![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/10\/0a0a0c0e-6e28-4249-8_47353.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Having headed into the grand final undefeated, Barkmeyer admitted it was a relief to get the job done.<\/p>\n
“It was a long build up and we’ve worked hard the whole year, so it was good to final get out there, play a full 60 minutes the way that we wanted too and finish the cup,” she said.<\/p>\n
“It was exciting to do it again with Alicia (McGlashan). She’s spent some time away from the club too, so it was good to be back together and enjoying a win.<\/p>\n
“It was pretty cool to go through undefeated, but we knew it didn’t mean much if we didn’t win the grand final.<\/p>\n
“The game went up another level from the semi-final \u2013 Sandhurst really took it to us.<\/p>\n
“They came at us all game and we really had to work for it the full 60 minutes.”<\/p>\n
Barkmeyer \u2013 runner-up behind Shae Clifford in this year’s Betty Thompson Medal count -paid credit to the two other surviving members of the 2016 premiership team, present-day captain Chelsea Sartori and Milly Wicks.<\/p>\n
“They’ve hung around for the nine years and it’s been pretty tough for them,” she said.<\/p>\n
“There hasn’t been much success in grand finals since (three losses in 2019, ’22 and ’24), so to get the win was really special for them.<\/p>\n
“We really wanted to get a win for them.”<\/p>\n
Barkmeyer’s own last two trips to the grand final ended in defeat for Boroondara.<\/p>\n
A highlight for Barkmeyer this season was her prosperous partnership in the goal circle with season 2025 recruit Teal Hocking.<\/p>\n
Rivals on the VNL court, the two dominated when on in the line-up together, limited by Hocking’s commitments with Melbourne Mavericks’ Super Netball Reserves team<\/p>\n
“We haven’t really trained that much together this season and she didn’t train in grand final week either. She had an injured neck,” Barkmeyer said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “To come out and play like that was amazing.”<\/p>\n The premiership was Hocking’s first in netball.<\/p>\n While her return to Kangaroo Flat ended a six-year hiatus from the BFNL, Barkmeyer said some things had remained the same, including the club’s loyal band of supporters.<\/p>\n “The support was great \u2013 our crowd was really the eighth player and helped us get across the line,” she said.<\/p>\n Barkmeyer said a premiership in her first year back had brought a sense of ‘mission accomplished’.<\/p>\n “The club has had a lot of success over the years in finals, but they haven’t quite had it in grand finals,” she said.<\/p>\n “When I first spoke to Jayden (coach Jayden Cowling) that was our goal, to go all the way with this team.<\/p>\n “We knew we could do it.<\/p>\n “Getting through undefeated wasn’t something we thought about too much going into the grand final, as we know, anything can happen in finals.<\/p>\n “We were super-happy to play the way we did and to finish things off the way we did.”<\/p>\n The 24-year-old viewed her best on court medal win as some icing on the premiership cake.<\/p>\n “It really could have gone to anyone on the team \u2013 everyone did their job,” she said.<\/p>\n “And I certainly couldn’t have done mine without Teal and Ash (Ryan) and Chels (Sartori) feeding me the ball.<\/p>\n “Ash in particular played a great game.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STAR goaler Ruby Barkmeyer believes a BFNL premiership with Kangaroo Flat has vindicated her decision to return to her home club in 2025. The former Melbourne Vixen was one of the keys to the Roos’ 59-51 grand final triumph over Sandhurst, claiming the best on court medal. It was her second grand final best on […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2025\/10\/550884426_1168162952_47776.jpg\")