LAST weekend, three Westlakes District Netball Association representative teams travelled to Liverpool to play for a coveted blue patch against up to 17 teams in each age grouping at the State Age Netball Championships.
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The weather was freezing, but the players were determined and warmed by the competitive fire in their bellies.
Three days, 36 rounds, and countless goals later, the Westlakes 12s finished 16th on the ladder.
The scorelines and number of wins was in no way reflective of the effort put in by the youngest of the teams in their first state age carnival.
Coach Brooke Dodson was impressed by her team’s performance.
Their determination and ability to hold their heads high and compete in Division 2 is something they should all be really proud of.
- - Brooke Dodson
“I could not be prouder of the girls’ efforts over the past three days,” Dodson said.
“They have grown and put in play everything we have taught them over the past five-and-a-half months. Their determination and ability to hold their heads high and compete in Division 2 is something they should all be really proud of.
“Each of them showed exceptional sportsmanship over the last three days of competition and it was a pleasure to have coached them this year.”
Similarly, the Westlakes 14s girls finished 16th on the ladder after a tough weekend of competition.
The team was struck down with illness early in the competition which took its toll on the team in many ways, but like the true sportspeople that they were, they dug deep and fought hard, giving it their all until the final bell.
Coach Tracy Baldock enjoyed her role.
“It was my absolute pleasure to coach this team,” she said.
They are an awesome bunch and, I agree, it is very rare to find nine girls that get on and support each other as much as they do.”
The Westlakes 13s girls had an amazing three days of netball, culminating in a tough game with Charlestown which finished in a draw.
The team anxiously awaited other results to find out where they placed on the ladder. With the results in, the team was ecstatic to discover that all of their hard work for the season had paid off and they had placed third.
It was no blue patch, but it was a huge effort from a group of determined young sportswomen who will be a tough team to beat in 2018.
Coach Sharon Nayler was delighted with the results.
“Our goal for the year was to finish Top 5, and we did!” she said.
“The sheer determination of these nine girls to win, play hard and never give up - regardless of the score - is amazing.
“This team is special because all the players are individually special. They believe in each other and support each other and the results are the proof in the pudding.”
Westlakes executive committee were very proud of their teams’ performances.
