A RIVAL coach has labelled two-time defending A Grade champions Wentworth as the “best side” she has ever seen in Sunraysia netball.
Red Cliffs mentor Romany Bowen, who has long been involved in Sunraysia sport, backed up comments by Australian Kelpies squad member Jake Hederics after her side was outclassed by the Roos 83-28 in wet conditions at Quandong Park on Saturday.
It extended the Roos’ unbeaten run to 56 games, dating back to their 2019 grand final loss to Ouyen United.
In Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily, Hederics, the brother of Roos playing coach Amanda Edwards, said the Wenty outfit was “a special group”.
“The legacy they are leaving is already showing that,” said Hederics, who faces a nervous wait this week ahead of the Australia men’s netball team being named.
“There may not be a netball team as good as this again in the SFNL.”
Bowen said she agreed with Hederics’ assessment of the Roos.
“You had the Imps seven a decade or so ago that included players like Ali Callahan and ‘Keesy’ (Laura Kee),” Bowen said.
“They won a couple of flags (2013, 2015), but they couldn’t string a winning sequence together like this Wenty team.
“Then I go back to when I was a little girl, there were dominant Wentworth and Imperials teams in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“But this Wenty team is nearly five years unbeaten, and they are showing other teams how to be more professional.
“You look at their speed and accuracy, and the quality of their core group, and that’s what sets them apart.
“I know it’s hard to compare eras, but I’d definitely agree with what Jakey’s told you about them being the best.”
Bowen believes only the fourth-placed Kangas (5-3) would be capable of upsetting Edwards’ wonder women in the finals.
“Ouyen’s midcourt is quite fast, and if they are on, they can match it with Wentworth, as they did in the 2019 and 2022 grand finals,” Bowen said.
Edwards said it was a matter for others to judge where her team ranks among the SFNL greats.
“It’s really nice to hear the compliments. It does feel like a special group, and I tell the girls that,” she said.
“But look, we’ve got a huge target on our backs, so we have to keep working hard and continue to improve.”
The Roos showed how well they can adapt to different conditions on Saturday, when a slippery court required them to move away from their usual up-tempo play.
Instead, they slowed it down, maintained possession and consistently hit their targets down the court.
“I thought we played to the conditions really well,” Edwards said.
“Christie Becker did another amazing job for us. She gets plenty of ball and is a great leader for us.”
The Roos (9-0) next host seventh-placed Imperials (2-7) at George Gordon Oval.
