A season of fluctuating fortunes for Bendigo Strikers\u2019 23-and-under team has ended, following a heartbreaking four-goal loss to City West Falcons on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
The Strikers, playing in their second consecutive finals series in only their third season in the competition, came up just short of victory in a 65-61 defeat at the State Netball Centre.<\/p>\n
A see-sawing contest all game, it was not until about the final minute that their fate was ultimately sealed.<\/p>\n
The loss ended a valiant season from the club\u2019s young guns that unfortunately ended at the same stage as last year\u2019s breakout campaign, in the first week of finals.<\/p>\n
Confidence was high when the Strikers skipped to an impressive six-goal lead eight-minutes into the opening term, before the Falcons rallied to close the gap at the first break.<\/p>\n
An impressive opening to the second quarter by the Falcons yielded an early three-goal lead, before it was the Strikers turn to rebound strongly, tying the game up at half-time.<\/p>\n
But with the Strikers clinging to a one-goal lead at the final change, the Falcons blew the game open by scoring seven of the first eight goals of the final term for a five-goal lead with 10-minutes remaining.<\/p>\n
Try as they might, the Strikers could not get any closer than three goals the rest of the way, despite on several occasions threatening to seize the momentum.<\/p>\n
While there was natural disappointment in the Strikers camp, the overwhelming emotion from coach Fiona Boyer was pride in her players\u2019 performance and purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls were unreal. Honestly, they were incredible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou reflect on things at clutch times, but it doesn\u2019t define the game they played.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose things happen under high pressure, but the whole game was played under high pressure and there was a lot of good.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a very high-scoring game, played at a frantic pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commend the girls for being able to do what they did for the length of time they did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyer admitted to not getting too caught up in the Strikers\u2019 slick, early six-goal lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just knew we had to get off to a good start. What that looked like on the scoreboard we weren\u2019t sure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably disappointing to be one down at quarter-time in the end, but we never let it get away from us, whereas slower starts have hurt us at times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls are very self-driven girls; we are very lucky to be part of a crew like we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
A fair indication of the coach\u2019s faith in her players and how in turn it was rewarded, Boyer made just one change in personnel during the game, with Alice Kain, who started the game at goal keeper, replaced by Harriett Whiteacre on the court at quarter-time.<\/p>\n
Whiteacre took to the court at goal defence, with Eliza Mooney switching to goal keeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the girls played their role,\u201d Boyer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls who didn\u2019t were unlucky not to get on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have depth on the bench and we could have put any of them, but we were playing well and it\u2019s what got us to where we were.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would love the result to be on the other side of the ledger, but you could not have asked anything more of the girls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the chances, no doubt about that, but it was not to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaffirming her views on the performance, Boyer said it would be difficult to contain a standout to just one or two, declaring the task of awarding best players as \u2018a lottery\u2019.<\/p>\n
Certain to have featured near the top of the list was goal shooter Jorja Clode, who capped a brilliant season with a 48-goal performance at 92.3 per cent accuracy, while working brilliantly in tandem with Ella Kerlin.<\/p>\n
After an injury-affected 2025, the young Wimmera-based player scored 706 goals for the season at 91 per cent, up from 387 goals at 89 per cent last season.<\/p>\n
Skipper Elsie Boyer at wing attack, Amity Drayton in centre and Asha Gray at wing defence led from the front, while the defence could not have made life tougher for the Falcons goalers.<\/p>\n
Encouragingly, and once the disappointment of their finals exit fades, Boyer said her players would walk away having learned valuable lessons \u2013 in netball and life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls were pretty flat afterwards, but that\u2019s reasonable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all want to be out there competing and if you want to compete, you want to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there\u2019s a level of disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toughest thing about finals is you leave Melbourne (on Wednesday night) and you don\u2019t actually have a last training session.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe trained well on Sunday night, but you never leave training assuming it\u2019s your last one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all depart and most of us don\u2019t live within cooee of each other. Nobody\u2019s a neighbour, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really different kind of feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pleasing follow-up to last year\u2019s first 23-and-under finals campaign, the 2026 Strikers finished the home and away season in fifth spot with a 10-8 record.<\/p>\n
Wednesday night\u2019s results:<\/b>
\n1v2: Geelong Cougars defeated Melbourne University Lightning 64-61
\n3v6: North East Blaze defeated Western Warriors 58-48.
\n4-5: City West Falcons defeated Bendigo Strikers 65-61.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A season of fluctuating fortunes for Bendigo Strikers\u2019 23-and-under team has ended, following a heartbreaking four-goal loss to City West Falcons on Wednesday night. The Strikers, playing in their second consecutive finals series in only their third season in the competition, came up just short of victory in a 65-61 defeat at the State Netball […]<\/p>\n