And by Sunday’s end, all three teams had booked their ticket to the competition’s finale in Melbourne next month.
With the GVL’s Open side already a lock after taking out last year’s State title, the junior delegates vied to lock in their own positions against their fellow regional associations in Albury.
The under-17s dropped only one game out of their seven for the day, an opening-round loss to Albury Netball Association.
In the replay, the GVL were much faster out of the blocks.
“(We) started off slow with a loss and then went undefeated for the rest of the day,” GVL coach Amy Marshall said.
“We had quality opposition - our first game was against Albury, who we played in the final.
“Then we had our semi-final against O&M, which was a pretty tough game as well.”
Sharp intercept work from Frankie Ewart in both finals, coupled with industrious efforts from Scarlet Byers and Kate Head, laid the groundwork for their journey to the final, where they defeated Albury 17-14.
“It was a very even team with lots of quality rotations,” Marshall said.
“While some of the girls didn't start every single game, we were able to get every single player on the court.
“There’s some real talent in the GVL. I’m just lucky enough to coach them all.”
Both the league’s under-15 sides also walked away winners, with the championship side toppling O&M 13-11 in the grand final to book their ticket to Melbourne, while the development side capped an unbeaten run with victory over Albury in their decider.
Meanwhile, Shepparton Netball Association’s under-13s sat top of their grade after a 10-6 win against Goulburn Murray, while SNA Gold was pipped by just one goal in its grand final shootout against Yarrawonga.
Now, for victorious championship-division teams, a chance at overall glory presents at the State Netball Centre on June 21 against associations from across Victoria.
