Burdekin on the ball
BURDEKIN has taken out the Townsville City Netball minor premiership after finishing the regular premier league season with a 61- 48 win over Runaways.
Burdekin extended their winning streak to eight games and earned their first minor premiership in the process, overtaking previous leaders Neptunes at the final hurdle.
“We weren’t expecting the minor premiership at all, but other results fell our way and it was a bit of a shock when we realised we had a chance of finishing on top if we got the win,” said Burdekin captain- coach Cara Trindle.
“It’s been 15 years in the making, now we want to get the premiership.
“The confidence is really high and to finish our last game with a good win was great for the team, but now it’s one game at a time.”
The in- form Burdekin suffered a setback when Trindle went down with a knee injury during the first quarter.
It resulted in a reshuffle that saw Krystel Kerr play out of position at goal attack.
“It’s not easy being put into the goal circle when you haven’t played there all year,” Trindle said, who expects to be fit for next week’s semi.
“That was a fantastic effort, and that’s how our team has been all year.
“Things sometimes don’t go right to plan but we all have a job to do.”
Burdekin will play Neptunes in next week’s major semi- final, with Neptunes entering finals after having a bye.
Saints play Phoenix in the elimination semi after finishing the regular season in third, scoring a 40- 31 win over Marian Vixens.
The win came at a much needed time for Saints, who lost their past two games by close margins.
“It’s good to be back on track,” Saints coach Angela Cooper said.
“Our links and connections were very good, but we did lapse off a bit and we’ll need to stick to our game plan for four quarters.
“I think it’s just very exciting for the competition that there’s no clear favourite.”
Phoenix will also enter the finals on a winning note after beating Highlanders 37- 30 in a tough and entertaining contest.