Over the weekend, Yass Netball Association (YNA) sent three teams to Sydney to compete in the State Age Championships, and by all accounts the girls did their town proud.
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In a post on the YNA Facebook page, the club praised the girls and the support crews who went with them to Sydney.
“Three days of netball, two different locations, 53 games, 26 players, three super coaches, three awesome managers, three (much needed) first-aiders, lots of proud parents and supporters and a dedicated committee to see it all through,” the club said.
“What a weekend of netball! Well done, girls!”
The club sent an Under 13s, an Under 14s, and an Under 15s side to compete, and although each team had mixed results, they earned strong results for a comparitively small pool of players.
The Under 13s won eight of their 19 matches, the Under 14s won two from their 18, and the Under 15s won five from their 17 matches at the tournament’s end.
The coach of the Under 15s, Michelle Vitler, was extremely proud of the effort that her girls put in over the three days.
“Overall, I was happy with how they went,” Vitler said.
“The first day was excellent, they came away with four wins outta the six [games played].
“The second day I think fatigue crept into their game plan, they struggled a little bit.
“The third day they picked up and played so much better as a team.”
The tournament carried with it a sense of poignance for the Under 15s girls, as it was the last time that they will be able to play together at a representative level for YNA.
“It was their last one, so it’s going to be one that they’ll remember,” Vitler said.
“There was a few injuries, and they were all a little bit upset that it is their last State Age together.
“After 15, the only other step is Under 17s, which is quite a big step when they’re only 14-year-olds.”
Whether or not the girls will take that next step up, Vitler can’t say right now.
“I think they’re all just exhausted. We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” she said.