Ocean Grove won a third consecutive Bellarine Netball League A Grade premiership battling injuries and the underdog status in what was one of the greatest grand finals ever seen.
The Grubbers defeated Geelong Amateur with a Zanna Woods goal on the siren and jubilant scenes at Newcomb’s Grinter Reserve on Saturday September 13 immediately unfolded.
Ocean Grove lost inspirational co-captain Emily Moroney to a serious knee injury in the second quarter, but rallied in a game that ebbed and flowed and had everything.
The Gubbers had three regular B Grade players – Mia Smith, Emma Jones and Claudia Britt – on the court when the buzzer sounded to end the game.
Georgia Berry made a late intercept that allowed the ball to travel the length of the court and into the safe hands of Woods.
“It’s so exciting, it’s such a team effort, so happy with the win,” she said.
“They (Smith, Jones and Britt) were so great – they all got on and they all just played so well. It was fantastic to see real club effort.”
In her first A Grade season Gemma Bell was an important part of the team.
“I’ve been in a couple of senior grand finals before, but lost by one every single time,” she said.
“So to change it up and win by one for my first year in A Grade, honestly, unbelievable.”
It was Amanda O’Malley’s first season at the club after being a Werribee Centrals champion for many years.
“Obviously coming to the club this year the girls were so welcoming,” she said.
“It was a whole team effort. I moved here last year, got into Mel (Holmes) and we knew each other from playing and I was like ‘oh, I’m going to play again’.”
Goaler Arlee Bennett said she had to convince Jones that they had won the game.
“Emma thought after the siren that it was a draw and we were going into overtime and I ran up to her and gave her a big hug and she’s like ‘we won’,” she said.
“We had to work bloody hard, but we did, we got it done. From Georgia Berry’s last intercept down to the last goal we just wanted it so much and I think we worked so hard this season.
“We’ve had people up and down with injuries and we’ve had to work hard.”
Grove also took out the C Grade and 17 & Under Division 1 premierships while other Bellarine Peninsula clubs to win silverware were Barwon Heads in D Grade and Drysdale in the 19 & Under.
