WITH a league best and fairest safe in her keeping, Maryborough’s Maggie Tranter is hoping to add a BFNL netball premiership medal.
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Tranter can cap a stellar season, when she lines up for the Magpies in Saturday’s premiership decider at the QEO against Sandhurst.
The goal defence and her teammates are seeking to become just the second group of netballers from Maryborough to win a BFNL premiership.
The club’s only other netball premiership was won by its 1996 B-grade team.
Maryborough has come close before at 17-and-under level, finishing runners-up in 2010.
But this might be the Magpies best chance yet after they were the first team through to the grand final following a second semi-final win a fortnight ago against Golden Square.
They will play a determined Dragons, who have advanced to the grand final the hard way via an elimination final.
In an encouraging sign of strength of the junior competition, the premiership decider features the teams which finished third and fifth at the end of the home and away season.
Tranter, who will have the added joy of playing in a grand final alongside twin sister and team captain Ella, said the Magpies were ready to make the most of their grand final day opportunity.
“I’m very nervous …. we’re all hoping our team can come through,” she said.
“Sandhurst has matched us very well this season, which should make for an interesting game.
“Sandhurst has been the under-dogs through the finals, but they have been really tough all year.
“We lost our first game against them by 12 goals and then beat them by six goals, so it’s been one of those seasons where anything can happen.
“I am confident in our team, but we certainly won’t go into the game cocky, that doesn’t work for us and we are just not that sort of team.”
Tranter said plenty of credit for the Magpies’ season had to go to coaches Jordan Macilwain and Chloe Egan, who had been totally supportive of the playing group off and on the court.
“They are friends with us – our club is based around friendship,” she said.
“They’ve been amazing all year.”
The 17-year-old Maryborough Education Centre student topped the vote count with 27 and finished five clear of Gisborne’s Tasma Morris.
With votes for all grades of netball, except A-grade, counted exclusively on live radio this season, Tranter learned of Carole Sing Medal win while travelling to Melbourne to attend Government House as part of a science program.
She said her win had come as a shock.
“There are so many good players in this league – I don’t really think of myself as one,” she said.
With Maryborough qualified for only their third grand final – at any level – since 2000, Tranter said she was expecting Magpies supporters to be out in force at the QEO.