In a reversal of the 2017 final, reigning premier Dennington fell short against the Blues 39-44 on Saturday.

Nirranda coach Steph Townsend said she was happy with how the game played out. 

“Dennington put great pressure on us and forced us to make errors, but for the majority of the game I was quite happy,” she said.

She said Georgia Haberfield was superb in wing defence.

“She had a fantastic game, she absolutely blitzed it on Saturday,” Townsend said.

Katie Ryan also played a stellar game.

“She played fantastic,” Townsend said.

“She worked hard in the defensive circle and put a lot of pressure on the Dennington goalie.”

The playing coach said she was happy with her own game.

“It probably wasn’t my best, but I was quite happy with it,” she said.

“We worked hard for every goal we did score.”

The Blues play Merrivale next Sunday.