Tara, Maggie among champs

By Ben Hope
A JUBILANT Victorian under-17 netball team returned home with the national title on Monday after six days of intense competition at Adelaide’s ETSA Park.
Cranbourne teenager Tara Cecil joined 12 Victorian netballers in Adelaide for the national under-17 championship and said the team was determined for a win after a disappointing loss to South Australia in last year’s grand final.
“Last year we missed out by two goals in the grand final, so it was really good to win the championship this year,” Cecil said.
Cecil played wing defence and spent some time in the centre position as the Victorian team topped off nine undefeated games with a grand final win on Monday afternoon.
“It was good to be one of the older girls in the team this year and play against girls my own age; I could get a feel for how I weigh up against them.” she said.
“I was really happy with my performance and the amount of court time I had.”
Cecil said team-mate Maggie Taumaoe, also from Cranbourne, played well on the state team.
“Maggie did really well as one of the youngest players on the team,” Cecil said.
“She will have next year to look forward to as well.”
The Victorians kicked off the championship with a win against The Australian Capital Territory team 45-17 before dominating New South Wales with a 12-goal win on Wednesday.
Reigning premiers South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory all fell in quick succession to the unstoppable Victorian team before Queensland and Western Australia went down in the final rounds of the competition. A 27-15 win against Western Australia in the semi finals secured Victoria a grand final game against third-placed New South Wales.
Victoria again proved too strong for New South Wales in the grand final and took the championships with a thrilling one-goal win, 24-23.
After a long week of competition, Cecil is looking forward to returning to Monash University Central, currently fourth in division one of the Victorian Netball League competition.
“There wasn’t much time to celebrate the championship win; after our game we watched the under 19 finals and had the presentation before leaving for the airport.”
“At this stage I am hoping to play as a bottom-age in the under 19 Victorian squad next year,” she said.
In the under 19’s competition Queensland broke a nine year drought after defeating Victoria in the semi finals and denying New South Wales their third consecutive national title.