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MIDCOURT star Danielle Wee-Hee says it’s a ‘privilege’ to captain White Hills to its first A-grade netball premiership since 2010, but was most proud to be able to share the experience with her great friends.
Wee-Hee, who joined White Hills from BFNL club Kangaroo Flat in 2016, proved a leader in every sense of the word with a polished first half display at wing defence and later at wing attack, and willed her Demons side to victory in a tense finish.
Like many of her team-mates, Wee-Hee endured the heart-ache of defeat against Colbinabbin’s in last season’s grand final, but was keen to avoid a repeat dose – albeit she is no stranger to premiership success.
“Luckily, I played my first year at White Hills in A-res and we won that grand final, which was awesome, but I went up to A-grade last year and this year and Colbo have been such big rivals,” she said.
“They’ve caused us a bit of grief, but to finally get a (grand final) win against them is an amazing feeling.
“We knew coming into it that it wasn’t going to be easy, but we just told ourselves from the get-go to get on top and work our butts off.
“To get there in the end is just the best feeling.”
It was a titanic struggle throughout the contest, with two or fewer goals separating the Demons and Grasshoppers for most of the contest and the margin to either side not going beyond four goals.
In the end, some clutch goal shooting from best on court Rhian Moresi and Ash Gilmore kept the surging Grasshoppers at bay for the Demons to break an year-eight year flag drought.
Wee Hee, who earlier this season had the distinction of being vice-captain of Heathcote District’s winning inter-league team, never doubted her team-mates ability to rise to the challenge of their experienced foes in a tight ending.
“I kept yelling to the girls ‘composure, composure’, that was one of our words from the get-go, we needed that composure and communication,” she said.
“We had the belief in every single one of our players to get the job done.
“Today (Saturday) was all about belief in each other.”
It was no coincidence that the bulk of the inter-league team Wee-Hee was vice-captain of was made up of players from Saturday’s game.
The team was coached by Colbinabbin’s Liz Cobbledick and captained by her Grasshoppers team-mate Brydie Lawford.
It included four White Hills players – Wee-Hee, Moresi and defenders Anna-Grace Close and Dannielle Sawyer.
Wee-Hee had praise for all her team-mates, but reserved plenty for coach Lauren Bowles, who led the Demons to not only an A-grade premiership in her first season at the helm, but also in A-reserve.
“She has been superb and is someone who is really composed herself,” she said.
“Throughout the year we’ve worked hard and she’s convinced us that it’s the hard work that will make the difference on a day like today.
“This year we’ve won four (senior) premierships – she’s a great leader and we owe a lot to Lozza.”