After falling in overtime in the semifinal, the Blues fought their way into the grand final with a two-goal win over reigning premier Echuca United and will now look to take down Moama in the decider.
“They're just a really talented bunch,” coach Alicia White said.
“They’ve really knitted well together.
“They hang out a lot together away from the netball court, so they have a really good friendship as well, and they’re just playing some really good netball at the right time of the year.”
Tongala has had a stranglehold over senior netball recently, winning the B, C and C-reserve treble in the last two seasons, and now with the 17s reaching the final, the future of netball remains bright at Tongala.
“I’ve probably on and off coached these girls every second year, so it’s been an absolute pleasure to coach them,” White said.
“Not only are they a great bunch of girls, they’ve got really supportive families behind them that are really entrenched in the club as well.”
Tongala surged back from five down at three-quarter time to tie up the semi-final with the Mowers, but couldn’t keep up in extra time, falling by four.
White said the pressure of the situation caused some later errors, which the Blues would hope to iron out for the final
“A lot of our girls haven’t had the opportunity of playing finals, so that’s new to them and everyone handles pressure in finals differently,” she said.
“It’s about curbing those nerves at some vital times and bringing the best out in each other, which they tend to do.”
Moama has its own motivation, dropping last year’s final by a goal to Echuca United, but after such a tight semi-final clash, White and her squad have the belief they can become the premier.
“It’s going to be a tough ask, but if they put it together on the day at the right time, I have no doubt (they can do it),” she said.
“They have a lot of belief within themselves.”
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