Nirranda coach Lisa Arundell was delighted with her side's second consecutive Warrnambool and District league A grade premiership on Saturday, saying its loss in the second semi-final may have ultimately been beneficial.
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The Blues' class shone through against Merrivale in a rainy decider, triumphing 48-37 to stamp what has been a dominant few years for the club.
The Blues fell in the second semi-final to the Tigers but Arundell believed playing the following week may have aided their cause.
"I think it actually probably helped us in the long run," she said.
"We hadn't had a great run into finals with injuries and form so I think playing that preliminary final has definitely helped us find that form back.
"Our injuries we were able to manage throughout that process so we were very lucky with that."
The Blues led at every change with their cast of quality players standing tall in what was an extremely physical game.
They took a strong lead early and the Tigers weren't able to claw it back.
Under the ring, Nirranda's Steph Townsend and Amanda Gilbert made the most of their chances while teammate Jo Couch was dominant through the midcourt.
The best-on-court medal however was awarded to Blues defender Cloe Marr who made life extremely difficult for the Merrivale shooters.
Arundell was delighted with her side's showing.
"Both teams brought it today and we knew that," she said.
"We knew it was going to be a strong game.
"We knew we had to keep possession of the netball, especially when the rain came it was just a matter of making sure we held strong."
Arundell, who has now clinched two flags from two years coaching the Blues, was coy about whether she would coach again next year.
"Just at the moment I want to focus on this and enjoy the win," she said.
"And I'll sit back and think strongly about what my plans are."
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
