THE allure of becoming dual premiership players was all the motivation the Submariners needed to clinch a second grand final victory in as many years.
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The Warrnambool-based women’s team produced a dominant display to run out 4-0 victors over the Strikers on Saturday.
Inspired by coach Rosalie Ballard, who returned from a leg injury to slot a hat-trick of goals to all but secure the win, and best-on-ground Kate Pinkerton, the Submariners blazed away on the eve of halftime to set up the triumph.
Premiership player Kate Benson said the combination of a well-drilled squad had provided a strong platform for the win.
“We’re lucky in that we have two mother-daughter sets of players in our team – Anna and Rebecca Dyson and Marcia and Daniella Nelson-Hill. It’s one of the great things about the club,” she told The Standard.
“We were very pleased to win it. There was a bit of pressure as we won last year but we felt we needed to back it up again.
“The team played together so well. There are some really strong friendships in that team. The new and returning players we had complimented our side well.”
Benson said a goal before half-time was the turning point in the clash.
“Kate Pinkerton’s goal from a penalty corner really gave us the momentum heading into the break,” she said.
"But our coach Rosalie (Ballard) has been out for a fair bit of time with stress fractures and she returned to score three goals. I think that just shows how good she is.
“The Strikers are a fantastic young team and they’re building to something. It was a clean contest, and a skillful game.”
Meanwhile, Technique claimed its first premiership in almost 15 years with a convincing 4-1 rout of the Strikers.
Led by best-on-ground Matt Hoy, Technique boasted four individual goalscorers as it shot away to complete a rags to riches fairytale victory.
Technique defender Chris Crossland, who landed at the club in 2011 after moving from Blackpool, England, described the win as “amazing”.
Crossland hailed Technique’s defenders for their efforts in the win.
“It’s been a long patch between (grand final) wins so it is incredible,” he said.
“In any sport you want to turn up and to be competitive. In my first few seasons we struggled week in, week out and with each win you grow in confidence. With that, we’ve managed to go on and win it. “I think our resilience was there to see. With that, you can bounce back from a loss or know you can come back when losing.”
In the under 17s , Pirates put four into the back of the net to deny Strikers another premiership.
