Jayden Cowling's goal to secure back-to-back championships with the Victorian under-23 men's squad is now reality.
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The team finished with an impressive 8-0 undefeated record at the 2019 Australian Men's and Mixed Netball Championships.
A 13-point grand final win over New South Wales secured the championship for the Victorian squad which had several new additions for this year's tournament.
"It's great to secure back-to-back championship wins," Cowling said.
Despite going undefeated, the tournament still presented its challenges for Cowling and the Victorian squad.
"During the early rounds we had a tough game against Western Australia, but we managed to win by 10 goals," Cowling said.
"And the first time we played NSW we won by three goals and the second time we only won by one."
During the grand final championship show-down, NSW was bolstered by a solid eight-goal lead during the earlier stages of the match.
"We certainly had to play some catch up netball to get back into the game," Cowling said.
"We were playing on a national level and didn't hold anything back.
"Everyone in the competition, especially during the grand final, left nothing out on the court."
Cowling was named as the grand final's most valuable player.
This year marked Cowling's final year with the under-23 squad as he will now progress up to the open category age group.
"I'm lucky to have been part of the under-23 team since 2016 and it was nice to finish my time with them with a win," he said.
"There are three of us who have played together for a while on the team and we will all finish up together."
Cowling said there were plenty of junior players coming up through the ranks to carry on the men's under-23 championship legacy.
"There are plenty of skilled juniors from the under-20 team who will be stepping up next year and will be exciting to watch," he said.
Each year participation at the Australian Men's and Mixed Netball Championships increases, setting the ground work for a strong future of men's participation in the sport.
"This year we had both South Australia and Western Australia compete in the under-23 category for the first time," Cowling said.
"The competition keeps evolving every year."
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