IT’S not that Ouyen United don’t care about the regular season, it’s just that the team from the south would rather save their best for when it really counts, in late August and September.
As in recent years, the Kangas hardly set the A Grade alight in the regular season with a useful but hardly awe-inspiring 9-7 record and a fourth-place finish.
But wise heads in the league warned spring was the season United bloomed … and so it has come to pass – again.
They KO’d South Mildura in the opening round of finals, did the same to highly rated Irymple the following week, then on Saturday downed long-time rivals Mildura at Mildura Sporting Precinct to book a grand final date with all-conquering Wentworth this weekend.
In a see-sawing encounter played in warm, benign conditions, the battle only tilted decisively in the Kangas’ favour late in the final quarter.
At the first break, Ouyen United led by three goals. At half-time the Demons held sway by two and going into the final quarter the Kangas owned a 36-34 edge.
The warm conditions kicked in but the intensity and skill levels did not drop and it took sustained excellence from star goal shooter Maggie Smith to get the Kangas across the line by five goals – 48-43.
United coach Kyra Nathan was exhausted and elated after reaching the ultimate game of the year.
“Oh wow. This is how we do it, this is how we like it,” Nathan said of the 2024 trek.
“We have a plan from the start of the season where we don’t want to be the best in the first round because there’s no point, you can’t win premierships from round 1,” she said.
“Well, Wentworth do but they are a different breed. We work through things, we have plans and tactics and we knew what we had to do against Mildura and that was to play the best netball we have played all season.
“We needed to keep calm and play our game and not get caught up in the speed other teams play with because we’ve got three girls over 40 and we are old and slow,” she said with a smile.
While older heads (and bodies) prevailed, it was 15-year-old Smith who was instrumental in the victory.
“We are just so lucky to have her,” Nathan said. “She completely changes the way we play … she is so much more mature this year and adapts her game. She’s in the Victorian academy in Ballarat and when she plays for the Diamonds, I just hope she remembers where she comes from and we get some clinics.”
Goal attack Catherine Brown, defender Tsharni Brown and Esther Manley were also in prime form and they will need to be on Saturday against the wonders from Wentworth at the same venue.
“We are really grateful to be in a grand final, we missed out last year,” Nathan said.
“We will go in there with nothing to lose, (Wenworth) are undefeated and they are the benchmark and they have been the past few years. But we are going in to win the premiership.”
For last year’s grand finalists, it felt like an opportunity lost.
“We knew from the start the were going to come out hard and they are relentless,” versatile Mildura star Ava Zadow said.
“With the heat and all that they just jumped us and broke us down. That was kind of our grand final today and unfortunately it didn’t go our way, but I think (United) are going to go out there and give Wentworth a good run for their money.”
Zadow, Ally Leng and Jess McNamara featured among the Dees’ best.
