While Tungamah’s A-grade outfit was going goal-for-goal in the big dance on Saturday, the Bears’ C-grade side was busy putting together a stellar grand final performance of its own on the court next door.
The girls in maroon and gold romped to an impressive 35-22 win over Waaia to secure the Picola District league C-grade premiership.
But it wasn’t all easy going for the Bears, and after a shaky start, Tungamah coach Jenny Buerckner said her side had to dig deep to grind out the result.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We didn’t have the best start to the game but pulled together, ploughed away at it one at a time and came through with what we knew we were capable of,” she said.
Buerckner said a fast start from the Bombers tested the nerves of her side, which showed composure and slowly worked its way into the game.
“Waaia came out of the blocks firing. We really had to be at our best to get over the top of that,” she said.
“Usually we make a few changes throughout, but once we started to level things out and get comfortable, we just went with what was on the court.”
The Bears mentor said a strong trust within the side really came to the fore on Saturday, and with the game on a knife’s edge, the belief the girls’ had in one another was what got them over the line.
“We had no heads down. There were a few calls that didn’t go our way, but the girls knew it was a long game and kept their heads up and kept pushing,” Buerckner said.
“We just kept shooting and trusted in our defence to get back and knew we had plenty of options, and the shooters then felt more confident in putting their shots up.
“There’s a really good trust in our team, I think.”
SCORE
Tungamah 35 d Waaia 22