Early in September, after a very strong, dominating season, our Ballan C Grade defeated Springbank in the preliminary final – 31 to 30 – to secure their spot in the 2022 CHNL Grand Final!
Last time Ballan met Springbank in round 5 of 2022, the girls went down by 6 goals in testing conditions. The preliminary final seen the girls use that loss as motivation to push themselves to their limits and come away with the win. The girls hit the ground running, with Ballan taking the first centre and first goal, but we’re met with a strong Springbank, who managed to match Ballan nearly goal for goal in the first 3 quarters, only ever inching ahead by two to three goals. Defenders Kayleigh Lord and Brooke Arnott worked hard against experienced Springbank goalers to provide consistent pressure against a tough opposition. The mid court was dominated by a fast Eliza Scott in centre, and small but strong wing defence Lauren Alcock, who worked tirelessly to move the ball down the court, where wing attack Meg McGannon on-point quick movement around the ring seen the ball worked seamlessly into the goals. Once in the goals, shooters Tamara Hodge and Bec Owens teamwork skills were on show. Up against fast moving Springbank defenders, the girls worked together to keep Ballan on the score board. Ballan continuously worked hard to put on the pressure on Springbank, allowing the girls to turn over the ball to take the a strong lead in the last quarter, with Ballan up by 5 goals at the 6 minute mark. A strong Springbank creep back in the last 5 minutes to a 1 goal difference Ballans way at the 11th hour, but Ballans grit and determination seen them ensure that when the siren went, Ballan kept that lead.
And amazing effort from all the girls, with all players who took the court playing the entire 4 quarters and never giving up.
The following week saw the girls come up against an undefeated Buninyong at Eureka Stadium. It was a long time coming since Ballan has had a side in the Grand Final, and along with coach Sarah Hodge, the girls gave it all they had to bring that flag back home to Ballan. A special mention to all our amazing supporter who showed up during our finals series! Your support of the team provided the girls with the extra lift they needed all the way through.
