By Russell Bennett
“I believed that because we’d had to work so hard to get here (to the grand final), it just made us more hungry” – Jenny McRae
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Heading into the inaugural season of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC), Korumburra-Bena and Dalyston had long been considered the netball pride of the former Alberton competition.
And as the 2017 season unfolded in their new competition, it quickly became abundantly clear they’d hold on to their positions at the top of the pecking order.
Led by star player-coach Christie Hillberg, the Giants lived up to their name by demolishing all in their path through the home-and-away season – going undefeated at 18-0.
Dalyston finished three wins further back in second but it always seemed that the two sides’ true test of strength lay in the finals.
Heading into the season, Hillberg was already arguably the most decorated netballer the Gazette’s Football liftout covers.
But she elevated her already stellar reputation to astonishing new levels by claiming her seventh league best and fairest award – all by the age of 25.
Hillberg finished seven votes clear of her sister, and Giants team mate, Kim in third, at the WGFNC’s awards night at the Pakenham Racecourse at the start of grand final week.
Hillberg tallied 25 of a possible 30 votes between Rounds 2 and 11 on her way to adding the inaugural WGFNC A Grade best and fairest to her six Alberton league awards.
But it was in grand final week’s crescendo that the true story of the season was written.
Hillberg led the Giants into their eighth successive grand final appearance – having stormed into the previous seven Alberton league deciders before the restructure ahead of the 2017 campaign.
But, despite not dropping a game before the grand final against their arch nemesis, the Giants were cut down to size by Dalyston in Wonthaggi – 34-26.
The fierce rivalry between the two sides was already the stuff of legend prior to the decider, but what transpired on the final day of the season elevated the long-standing conflict to even greater heights.
The Giants were the raging hot favourites for the title, with the Magpies forced to book their place the hard way via a three-goal preliminary final win over Phillip Island, 32-29.
But Dalyston had learned some harsh lessons from their previous encounters against the Giants and came prepared this time around. Their pressure and physicality right from the outset was particularly telling in front of a large, vocal Dalyston supporter base.
Hillberg was warned by the umpires at the end of the first quarter, with any subsequent warnings set to result in time on the sidelines.
The vocal Magpies fans were right behind their side from the opening whistle to the last, which only served to heighten the tension.
While Hillberg had her hands full at goal defence with the combative and equally as competitive Britt Thomas, Dalyston skipper and Britt’s sister Jarney shone at goal shooter – netting the first goal of every quarter and really setting the tone for her team mates in a brilliant eight-goal win.
Dalyston was up 19-10 at half-time before the Giants made their inevitable run.
But the Magpies held their nerve right across the court – with stalwart Tess Angarane holding the fort brilliantly in the last line of defence.
For the second time in as many seasons, the Giants had made it through to the decider undefeated before stumbling at the final hurdle.
“I believed that because we’d had to work so hard to get here (to the grand final), it just made us more hungry,” Magpies coach Jenny McRae said immediately after the clash.
“We’d had to change our game plan, which we did, and today you could see that I don’t think Korumburra was expecting it.”
McRae explained that the Magpies planned to implement a high-pressure game all over the court to stymie the Giants’ free-flowing ball movement.
“We knew what we had to do and we were able to do it,” she said.
“Even when we came across Phillip Island (in the week prior to the grand final) we knew they played a similar game style to Korumburra and they were always ones to play fast and we knew we had to slow that down.
“That’s what we did – we slowed it down and went back to basics like little kids; stop, balance, and then go on to the ball.”
The decider was made even more special for McRae, whose daughters Alana, Grace, Hannah and Jessica made up almost half the Dalyston side.
McRae also coached the WGFNC 17-and-under girls to a hard-earned 39-29 triumph over the home side, Riddell and District, in the AFL Victoria Community Championships at Macedon back in May.
Alana played a brilliant game in the midcourt and won the medal as the best on court for West Gippsland, while goal attack Chloe Hogg (from Korumburra-Bena) and Hannah Carew (Dalyston) were a particularly formidable combination in the goal circle.
In the senior game, despite the best efforts of coach Christie Hillberg and Britt Thomas, West Gippsland couldn’t recover from Riddell’s fast start – ultimately losing by 11 goals, 48-37.
