COBDEN’S 16 and under netball side owes a debt of gratitude to the help of district league clubs, according to coach Veronica Hickey.
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As the Bombers prepare for their second grand final appearance under Hickey’s guidance, the mentor points out they may not have been able to get a team on the court this year without the assistance of three players from Timboon Demons, Kolora-Noorat and Simpson.
The three players have mixed seasons for their home clubs with Sunday commitments for Cobden.
Sophie Hickey, Sondi Guthrie and Grace Dawson are the only Bombers remaining from the side that went down on the buzzer to the Hawks Juniors last year, while a couple of new faces round out the 2017 Bombers outfit.
Hickey said the club had been “tremendous” in its support of her team and heaped praise on her charges, to whom she said all credit for the successful season belonged.
The Bombers finished top of the ladder, having lost just one game during the home-and-away season – and then only by a goal.
But the pressure of the stellar season, combined with the irregularity of a week off in the first week of finals, may have played its part as Cobden went down to South Warrnambool in the second semi-final.
The Bombers bounced back with a thrilling win over North Warrnambool Eagles in the preliminary final to book their spot in the decider against South Warrnambool.