Victoria claim silver in a close encounter at the Marie Little OAM Shield

The Victorian All Abilities team have finished second at the annual Marie Little OAM Shield in Brisbane this weekend after falling short by three goals to South Australia in the gold medal match, going down 21-18.

Netball Australia’s One Netball national netball championships – a tournament for women with an intellectual disability – took place on 12-14 October at the Queensland State Netball Centre. For the first time the tournament was included as a part of the INA Global Games; the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Victoria produced some dominant performances across the three days of the competition, winning six out of their eight games. After what was a game to remember in the gold medal match, Victoria were pleased with their efforts and were proud to wear their silver medals.

It was a goal-for-goal game from the first centre pass and both teams brought a new level of intensity into the match. Victorian captain and goal defence, Rachael Potter, and goalkeeper, Claire Nugent, were faced with the biggest match ups of the day as South Australia’s goaling circle were the backbone of their side with pinpoint shooting. Rachael and Claire streamed down the court and claimed several intercepts and assisted their side with immense defensive pressure that was replicated by the rest of their teammates.

Goal attack, Emma Daffy was fired up in the circle and held strong on her competitive defender, while Brooke Baker was reactive in goal shooter, chasing after several balls, contesting for rebounds and taking a chance with long-range shots.  

The dynamic attacking trio of Renay Hall, Kim Larkin and Bianca Lauricella kept a cool head in what was a tight battle with a well-prepared South Australian side. The attackers were patient with their feeding and switched into gear throughout transition down the court.

Grace Dean, Erin Munckton and Sky Grace rotated on in the second half for some fresh legs and made an impact. Grace provided speed in wing-attack, while Sky worked hard in wing-defence to keep her attacker quiet. Erin provided a sense of control in the goal circle, taking her time to take her shot and provide a direct lead to the ball.

Victorian head coach, Naomi Linossier was thrilled with the team’s efforts today and couldn’t be prouder of the way they conducted themselves over the course of the weekend.

“I’m really proud of the team today, the girls did an amazing job, they fought really really hard and played some of the best netball they played all weekend,” Linossier said.

“In the final they really took it to South Australia. We started really well, and they’ve just come together nicely as a team.

“Everyone took the court, so everyone was really a part of that gold medal match experience and to walk away with silver and go one better than last year was a really big achievement.”

“It was pretty cool stepping out on the show court today. It’s not an experience that many of these players will have had before.

“Just seeing how they grew as individuals over the weekend was really powerful.”

“Their sportsmanship was through the roof and just amazing. The way they dealt with the wins and the losses and took it all in their stride and took the challenge head on was great to see.”

Assistant coach, Emma Ryde was impressed with how the team interacted with the other states and the sportsmanship they displayed over the weekend.

“Being ACT’s first year in the competition, we discovered in the game that we played against them, every single girl had managed to shoot a goal throughout the tournament. So that was really exciting and special for them, but also so special for us to be a part of.”

“Our girls were really awesome with them and allowed them the chance to have a shot and encouraging them the whole time.

“We want everyone to be involved, so ACT [being there] was a real highlight of the tournament.”

Victoria has finished second for the first time since the inception of the Marie Little OAM Shield, having finishing third for the last four years, after winning the tournament in 2013 and 2014.

Find audio from Head coach Naomi Linossier and images here.

Match reports here.

Results from the weekend:

VIC 13 V NSW 11
VIC 23 V QLD 6
VIC 36 V NT 5
VIC 33 V WA 6
VIC 41 V ACT 10
VIC 15 V SA 21
VIC 18 V SA 21 (Gold medal)

Victorian All Abilities team

Coaching staff

Head coach – Naomi Linossier
Assistant coach – Emma Ryde