DENNINGTON’S B grade netballers are taking time to soak in their back-to-back Warrnambool and District league premiership triumphs.
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The Dogs held their nerve against Old Collegians in a game that was goal-for-goal throughout, before being forced into overtime.
The 2016 premier pulled away to a modest lead early, before the Warriors fought their way back.
There was barely anything in the contest for the rest of the day, with Dennington leading by a goal at quarter-time and three-quarter-time, while Old Collegians held a two-goal advantage at the main break.
Dennington wrestled its way to a two-goal lead midway through the final term, before a vital intercept in defence helped Old Collegians break a centre. They had the next centre pass and took the lead, before a Dennington goal in the dying seconds locked the scores on 22 at the end of regular time.
There was no separating the teams in extra time as they again went blow-for-blow with frenetic defensive pressure.
Old Collegians held a one-goal advantage at the end of the first period, but a crucial turnover in defence gave Dennington the lead. The Dogs followed up with another goal before the buzzer sounded, sealing a 27-25 victory.
Dogs playing co-coach Tarryn Sheehan said she had full faith her team could handle the pressure when the game was forced into extended play.
“We didn’t really plan for extra time and when it got to it, we had complete faith in our girls,” she said.
“They’ve done it again and again this year, so we just let them do their thing, and they stepped up like they have all year.”
Her fellow co-coach Sarah Jacobs said winning a second consecutive premiership was a big achievement for a team that had its fair share of obstacles during the season.
“It’s been one of those years, even though we’ve had such a good team, we’ve had so many changes. We’ve had (players out with) pregnancy, we’ve had people go away.
“It’s just amazing to get to this position.”
Dennington goal attack Monique Nevill, who finished with 13 goals, was named best on court.
A calm and composed Nevill, who said she felt no nerves on the court as the game went down to the wire, was thrilled to be recognised as the
“It’s good, but I much prefer the win,” she said. “The grand final is the biggest thing, and this is just the icing on the cake.
“We had so many things prop up during the season, and we had different people come in and out, and so it’s excellent to go back-to-back.
“As they (the coaches) said, you never know when it’s going to happen again, so enjoy it while it lasts.”