Bendigo Football Netball League's 17-and-under squad battled tough weather conditions to finish as semi-finalists at the Netball Victoria Association Finals.
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The day started with a match against Gippsland, with Bendigo getting the job done 15-10.
Next up was a a tight match against Wyndham, with the Bendigo girls securing a narrow one-goal victory, 13-12.
The Bendigo team's only loss during the round robin stage was to Ovens & Murray who combined well across the court to win 23-6.
However, the Bendigo girls came back fighting in the next round against Richmond with a solid nine-goal win, final scores 17-8
In the battle of the goldfields Bendigo defeated rivals Ballarat by a comfortable eight goals, final scores 18-10. The team then progressed to the semi-final against Hampden, but unfortunately trailed by one goal come the final siren.
Hampden made use of a couple well-timed turnovers to secure the victory, final scores 14-15.
Piper Dunlop shined as goal defence making several strong intercepts and rebounds, Abbey Grindal was a great target for the girls in goals and the mid-court kept the pressure on.
Dunlop, Grindal and captain Ruby Turner were named as the top three performers for the team on the weekend.
In the overall series Bendigo were runners up at the Shepparton Netball Tournament, winners at the Bendigo inter-league, winners at the Northern Zone Association and semi-finalists at the Association Finals.
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"Both Nicole Donellon (assistant coach) and I were pleased with the girls' overall performance during the four tournaments," coach Melinda Keighran said.
"There is a wealth of talent in the BFNL and it's great to see girls from all of the clubs come together so well and perform as a team.
"With the support from Cameron Tomlins and the board, it was a great opportunity for the girls to represent Bendigo, it was done with pride."
After four years as head coach Keighran has made the decision to step aside and allow the next generation of coaches to lead the junior squad.
"The journey over the past four years has been great and I have received so much support from Nina Cass, Bec Mullen and Donnellon," Keighran said.
"But this is my time to step aside and allow someone else to take on the challenge and opportunity.
"I can't thank Carol Cathcart and the BFNL enough for encouraging me to take on the role initially. And most importantly, thank you to all of the talented players over the journey."
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