Cobras show true grit to all but sew up incredible finals spot

IT wasn’t perfect or pretty – the Ballarat weather made sure of that – but the result was exactly what Bacchus Marsh needed.

The Cobras all but locked up a drought-breaking A-grade finals berth with a gritty 38-35 triumph over East Point at Eastern Oval last Saturday.

They did it the hard way, coming from behind in the heavy rain to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with an 8-4 final term.

Bacchus Marsh’s win eliminated the Kangaroos from finals contention and saw the Cobras move three games and a truckload of percentage clear of seventh-placed Sebastopol, after the Burra came up short against Redan at Marty Busch Reserve.

While still a mathematical chance of playing finals, the Burra

would need to win all four remaining games, with some ultra-tough asks against Sunbury and Darley among them, and have Bacchus Marsh lose all four.

Three of the Cobras’ remaining games are against teams below them on the ladder, including Sebastopol in Round 18.

While no one, especially coach Nichole Gleeson, is taking anything for granted, the Cobras can officially lock in their first finals berth in at least seven years with a win

over her former side Melton this Saturday.

The first-year Cobras coach could not have been prouder on two fronts on Saturday, having come from five goals down at quarter time and by one at three-quarter time to pull off a stirring win.

“It was tough, the conditions were absolutely terrible – it was an attacker’s nightmare,” she said.

“East Point really came to play. We lost the first quarter (14-9) and that forced a lot of readjustment from us.

“We won back the second, third and fourth quarters, but not by much. They didn’t make it easy for us, that’s for sure.

“We expected that. They are a good and tough team and made things hard for us last time (on Good Friday in a 34-28 Cobras win).

“It was always going to take our best effort.”

Gleeson praised the roles played by Eliza Moodie and Ella Logan, who swapped spots at goal defence and goal keeper at quarter-time, as pivotal to the win, while goal attack Jasmine Paama (19 goals) in particular stood up when they game needed to be won.

A late season addition to the line-up, Melissa Prismall proved her worth at wing attack.

“Our defensive team turned the ball over beautifully when we needed it and we were able to convert that to the scoreboard,” Gleeson said.

“Not to take anything away from anyone, but they literally won the game for us.

“To be honest, I couldn’t fault any of the girls for a comeback like that.

“We needed that win – it’s pretty much secured finals.

“The girls are very excited.”

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cobras against certain finalists Lake Wendouree, North Ballarat and Darley.

With the weight of expectation to cement a finals spot all but gone, Gleeson hoped her side would play with plenty of freedom and belief over the next month.

“It’s a long time since Bacchus has seen finals in A-grade, so we are all so excited,” she said.

“It was our only (netball or football) win for the day; to do it in those conditions and run out a full game, without using our bench, is a credit to our athletes.

“Finals is a great reward for these girls.”

With plenty more to play out over the final four rounds, Bacchus Marsh can expect to meet one of North Ballarat, Redan or Lake Wendouree in the first week of finals.

The Cobras got within four goals of the Roosters only a few weeks ago after leading by two at three-quarter time; have beaten the Lions twice; and came up only five goals short of the Lakers in Round 11.

They will enter finals without midcourter Kaila Saker, whose season is over with a plantar fascia rupture.

Meanwhile, cross-town rival Darley’s magnificent season rolled on following an 11-goal win over

Lake Wendouree.

The Devils – the only team to have beaten top-of-the-ladder Sunbury this season – sit second on the ladder behind the Lions at 12-1-1.

Since drawing with Lake Wendouree in round four, the Devils have won 10 games in a row.

They will play Redan tomorrow (Saturday, August 2) at City Oval.

Only one goal separated the two teams in a Darley win earlier in the season.