AT the start of the South West Junior Netball season, Griffith Swans Red under 11 coach Carolyn Burgess wasn't sure she would be able to field a team each week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But such is the vagaries of sport, she and her players were celebrating a premiership by the end.
Swans Red won its grand final 20-5 against Temora in Leeton on Sunday, the victory landing the club the first of two premierships.
Conditions were wet and slippery for the season decider, but Burgess said her players didn't let the weather affect them.
"They were all really excited more than nervous," she said.
"The weather was pretty ordinary, but it didn't bother them. They just wanted to go out there and play.
"We had a really good start and I think we were up 8-0 in the first quarter.
"Our little goal shooter (Isabella Smith), I don't think she missed a goal in that quarter and that's really good for that age."
Swans Red maintained its dominance for the rest of the game, centre Giordan Pastro named player of the match for her stellar performance in the middle of the court.
Burgess wasn't surprised by her side's success after solving a personnel shortage at the start of the season.
"We really struggled for numbers initially," she said.
"We only had two girls from last year. But then we got a lot of new players who were pretty athletic and good at different sports."
Once her players developed a few combinations, they were hard to stop.
"We ended up with a strong group," Burgess said.
"We had one forfeit, one loss and won the rest of our games.
"We had five top-aged players. Because it's a two-year age group, sometimes you end up with either a lot of top-aged or bottom-aged players.
"But they were really good kids as well. They always turned up to training and were always keen."