It was a case of so near yet so far for Riddell in the Riddell District Netball League A-grade grand final on Sunday.
The Bombers, who hadn’t made an A-grade decider in about 10 years, went into the game as hot favourites.
They’d lost only one match for the season and easily beaten the Melton Centrals on three occasions in 2014, most recently in the semi-finals.
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But the tables were turned this time, with Centrals getting up 56-40.
Nothing seemed to go right for the Bombers, who made a poor start and never recovered.
While the Centrals got off to a fast start, the Bombers’ shooting let them down.
They made changes on the court and while it restricted the Centrals’ run, the margin didn’t get closer than 10 goals.
Sophie O’Shea, who came on in the second half, scored 19 goals from 23 attempts, while Christine Harris scored 18.
Riddell player Louise Moss said her team just couldn’t match Centrals’ start.
“We had to react to the quick start and we’d normally be able to,” she said.
“We have a lot of depth and experience, so not having been in finals in Riddell wasn’t an issue. But sometimes the hype is there and you need to slow down and be steadier.”
Moss said it was encouraging that the side continued to fight in the second half.
“To be fair, we didn’t drop away in the second half,” she said. “We kept at the game and the margin stayed consistent once we got into a rhythm.”
Moss admitted that the Bombers missed Ryan medallist Lauren Close, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament two months ago. She warmed up with the side and gave support from the bench.
“[Close] has been a good backbone for us,” Moss said. “She’s provided massive support for Bridget Aughton and Rehana Razeen. But we were beaten by a better side. They were a well-oiled machine.”
Tara Murray
