Following the Echuca tournament on May 14, the WFNL's four representative teams competed in Association Championships in Bendigo on May 21.
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Of the four teams, the 13 and Under and 15 and Under Navy teams qualified for the Association Finals Day in Melbourne on June 18.
The 13 and Under squad won five out of eight possible games on the way to the semi-finals.
WFNL defeated North Central 13-10 before they were defeated by Bendigo Strathdale 19-11 in the grand final.
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Coach Penelope Manserra was pleased with her team's ability to back up in tournament conditions.
"It's a pretty intense day. To maintain focus and intensity all day long can be quite challenging. But I think for their age group, they did an exceptionally good job," Manserra said.
With four weeks between the two tournaments, there will be a focus on the basics at training.
We will just be reinforcing the basics that they've been picking up and doing well. And even throughout the tournament, we were throwing extra coaching tips at them and different options, and they took it on board," Manserra said.
"I think Melbourne will just be a really great experience for these girls to continue to play netball at this standard."
The 15 and Under Navy squad won eight of nine matches on the way to the semi-finals.
An 18-7 win of Central Murray in the semi-final set up a second clash with Sunraysia, the second match between the two teams.
"They were absolutely the team that we had to beat the first time we came up against them. I was pretty confident right then and there that was the team that was going to be the toughest for the day," said 15 and Under Navy coach Vernetta Taylor.
The final score in the grand final was 12-10 in Sunraysia's favour.
"It is the way it goes. I was proud that they made it, proud that they closed the gap against Sunraysia," Taylor said.
"It just goes to show how talented our young netballers are. Compared to a lot of the other teams that compete in the Association Championships, they have been training since the end of 2022. Our girls get put together in mid to late March and start training once a week."
In other results, the 15 and Under White squad won six of eight games and earned a semi-final berth.
They were defeated in the semi-final by Castlemaine District 10-7.
The 17 and Unders had seven wins, one draw and three losses but did not qualify for finals.
The Association Finals Day will be held at the State Netball Centre on Sunday, June 18.
Lucas Holmes
Lucas is a sports journalist with the Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. He completed his Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree through Charles Sturt University. Lucas is originally from Newcastle, New South Wales.
Lucas is a sports journalist with the Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. He completed his Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree through Charles Sturt University. Lucas is originally from Newcastle, New South Wales.
