By Tara Murray
Youth and determination have carried Lancefield into the semi-finals of the Riddell District Netball League.
The Tigers battled all day in Sunday’s elimination final against Romsey and for much of it were two or three goals down.
But just when it looked as if the Redbacks would take the win, the Tigers made one late surge to get up 51-50.
Tigers coach Alan Watson said he was proud of his young team.
“It was fantastic,” he said after the match.
“Romsey is really tough opposition and a very experienced side.
“We’re very inexperienced but we have youth and determination and I think that is why we got over the line.
“The girls didn’t panic and they used the ball well.
“Some of the passages of play I saw today were brilliant.”
Watson had his heart in his mouth when goal attack Courtney Annett went down injured after Lancefield had hit the front.
Annett was best on court, shooting 23 goals.
“I was a little bit worried when Courtney got a corkie and hit the deck,” Watson said.
“I thought we may have been in a bit of trouble.
“You’d have sworn she wasn’t injured the way she recovered but she’s pretty heavily iced up now.”
With Lancefield in front, Watson urged his girls to keep their composure when the Redbacks called an injury time-out late in the game.
“I told them Romsey were calling a time-out for one reason, panic,” he said.
“All of a sudden we put the screws on them and we are two and a half minutes from the finish with noses in front.”
Watson said all eight girls who stepped on the court contributed.
“We had a young girl [Elke Smith] who sacrificed a game in B-grade on Saturday to play with us,” he said.
“She has been a brilliant club person and I promised her she would play a half.
“It’s a great introduction to her to playing finals in the highest level in the competition.
“She deserved her opportunity and I think she played well and it gave Gemma Jackson a bit of a spell.
“Gemma’s height and strength was telling at the end, when she came back on in the last quarter.”
In Sunday’s semi-finals, the Tigers will face Rupertswood, whose coach was a keen onlooker last weekend.
“Rupo is going to be a tough ask,” Watson said. “We’ll just play our own game.”
Macedon will meet Riddell in the other semi-final on Saturday .
