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THE Bendigo Pioneers will be striving to end their NAB League Girls season the same way they started on Saturday - with a win.
The Pioneers close out their 2021 season with an away trip to take on the Western Jets at Werribee's Chirnside Park.
The Pioneers opened their season with a 26-point win over the Murray Bushrangers, but have since lost their past six games - the last two of which have been by one point when they have rued inaccuracy.
"It will be a good reward for the effort of all the girls if they can finish their season off with a win on Saturday," Pioneers coach Danny O'Bree said on Friday.
"Regardless of what the win-loss record shows, the girls have all come a long way in their improvement as not only individuals, but as a collective.
"Full credit to the girls, they have stuck it out and I'm really hopeful they can have a positive experience on Saturday to finish the season off."
The Pioneers have used 34 players across the season so far, with 15-year-old Jemilka Cooper from Deniliquin to become the 35th on Saturday.
"We've played two 14-year-olds, a handful of 15-year-olds and quite a few 16 and 17-year-olds, so we've certainly given some young girls an opportunity, which is really exciting for our future," O'Bree said.
The Pioneers' final game of the season follows a break of just under a month since their last hit-out against Gippsland.
Since then the team has remained connected training weekly on a Tuesday night.
Saturday's game between the Pioneers (1-6) and Jets (2-5) starts at 1pm.
THE TEAM:
B: Lily Den Houting, Kaitlin Mitchell, Eliza Bell
HB: Drew Ryan, Tara Slender, Octavia Di Donato
C: Chantelle Mitchell, Jemma Finning, Maddie Elliott
HF: Lexie Moss, Maddie Marks, Lila Keck
F: Jemilka Cooper, Tegan Williams, Lucia Painter
R: Freyja Pearce, Jayda Richardson, Tia Davidge
INTER: Serryn Eenjees, Jorja Oborne, Bryde O'Rourke, Emma Gilligan, Lexie Gregor, Scarlett Orritt
EMERG: Grace Murley, Eve Cail, Pearl Sullivan, Charli Dorrity
Meanwhile, former Bendigo Pioneer Eden Zanker, who is now playing with Melbourne, was named in the ruck in the AFLW under-22 Team of the Year announced earlier this week.
Zanker, originally from the small rural town of Natya, was drafted by the Demons at pick No.6 in 2017 as a key forward.
It's the second year in a row Zanker has made the AFLW under-22 Team of the Year after being named on the bench in 2020.
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