Tara Murray
Melton star Grace Downes-Giordimaina has been trying for years to win a state title, but she was finally able to achieve it this year.
Downes-Giordimaina competed with the North West Tigers girls team in the under-18 Hockey Victoria junior state championships late last month.
The Tigers won all by one game for the event, the other game a controversial draw, on the way to the title.
Downes-Giordimaina said it was pretty exciting to have finally gained that success.
“We’d never got there before,” she said. “Most of the girls have been playing over the five years.
“It was more than a medal. We’ve gone through the ranks starting at the young and we’re now a bit older.”
Downes-Giordimaina said it can be a bit confronting and nerve wracking at the start playing in the state titles.
She said as you get used to playing at that level you become better at calming the nerves.
“I always fight hard,” she said. “They already know how I play from the last few years
“They make me train really hard.”
The Tigers faced the Red Devils in the grand final after what Downes-Giordimaina said was a dominant tournament for the most part.
“We won all but one of our games and drew one,” she said. “Had we been able to win, we would have been undefeated [won every game].
“That was 1-1, all the other games we were up by four goals or two goals. We were happy with how we played.”
Downes-Giordimaina, who turns 18 in April, said she was hoping that she is going to play in next year’s competition but was unsure whether she would be too old or not.
“I want to do it again,” she said. “If I can’t, at least I’ve finished on a good note.”
She said after not playing senior women’s hockey this year with Melton due starting a carpentry apprenticeship, she would get back on the pitch next year.
Downes-Giordimaina is hoping that it leads her onto bigger things in the future.
She’s been playing hockey since she was young.
“Hopefully I’ll get back into it and go hard again,” she said. “I’ve dreamt ever since I was a little girl of going to the Olympics. I watched it on the television with my family.
“It’s a really big motivator for me.”
