For the second year in a row, Myrtleford’s youngest netballers were unable to claim the premiership flag.

In trying conditions against the undefeated Wodonga Raiders in the biggest game of the year, the Saints fought hard for the full hour but came up on the wrong end of a 42-54 final scoreline.

The weather gods had made their intentions known early, with dark clouds and rain threatening in the lead-up to and during the match, but Myrtleford took to the court determined to provide an upset.

It was tough going early, as Raiders’ impressive defensive end caused turnovers early while their shooters made it count, with Saints trailing by three before hitting the scoreboard for their first.

Myrtleford made some impressive defensive displays of their own to bring it level, but Raiders were sharp on transition, the Saints trailing 8-17 after the first 15 minutes.

Momentum continued to go against Myrtleford through the second quarter, but their heart and determination could not be denied.

After being behind by 10 goals at the half, the Saints dominated the first five minutes of the third term, cutting the margin in half and stunning the Raiders.

They worked hard to bring the pressure to Wodonga, but it was the Raiders’ defensive reads and intercept game which saw them push the lead back out, with Myrtleford facing an uphill battle in the final term.

Despite a spirited push late in the game, Raiders were just too strong for Myrtleford, dominating the final term to crush the Saints’ hopes by 12 goals.

Co-coach Olivia La Spina said she was immensely proud of her team’s efforts against a titan of the competition.

“It’s always disappointing to lose a grand final, but the courage the girls showed to keep fighting the whole match against such an exceptional side was such a privilege to watch,” she said.

“At quarter time I was a bit worried we were staring down the barrel of quite a big loss, but in the third quarter, the fightback they showed to get back within five goals, it was honestly just a brilliant game.

“They [Raiders] came out firing in defence, and that’s what good sides do - that pressure probably caught our girls off guard a little bit, Raiders are a really well-drilled side in terms of their defensive structure, so they came out knowing exactly what they needed to do.

“I think it was just a conversation at three quarter time around bringing our goals back to really achievable things – let’s just get a turnover and make sure we score off that, and try and get runs of three goals in a row.

“In the third quarter, I think we scored the first five or six goals of the quarter, so that shift in momentum ignited a spark in the group.

“To have the ability to do that at 14, 15 years old is easier said than done, so the fact they were able to execute that is pretty phenomenal.”

There were some brilliant moments from the tricolours, with Abbie Dalkin and Gemma Corcoran picking off some brilliant defensive intercepts, and all three players who rotated through the shooting circle – Zahra Hazeldine, Izzy Morrison, and Taylor Williamson – shot at above 80 per cent accuracy.

“Every single girl on the court played a huge role, I can honestly say not one girl played a bad game, they were all so great,” La Spina said.

“Across the year, the growth of some of our girls have shown, particularly the bottom age girls, it’s been amazing to watch.

“Every single girl I can easily say has improved, and they’ve gelled so well as a team.

“A lot of these girls now will go up to under 17s netball, they’ve all played multiple games of under 15s netball this year so they’re absolutely up for it.

“Whether it’s in the under 15s competition or the under 17s competition, I’m hoping we can get some silverware eventually.”

La Spina wanted to thank the entire community for their support throughout the season and on grand final day.