A HUGE opening quarter paved for the way for James Sheahan Catholic High School to score a dominant victory in the Marianne Murphy Shield open grand final over Kinross, which combined with their win in the under-14 division netted the school a fifth straight overall title.
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James Sheahan’s under-14 – junior – side trumped Orange High in its decider, which was the first of three grand finals played at Kinross’ gym on Thursday night.
That victory combined with the open win and a grand final appearance for the school’s under-16 – intermediate – unit was more than enough to secure the overall title for James Sheahan, which completes a stunning half decade of dominance in the inter-school championship.
While the champions’ under-14 side was super impressive, the open unit produced a display so dominant the result was virtually wrapped up at the end of the opening term.
James Sheahan opened up a 13-goal lead in the first period of the game and proved relentless in the final three quarters, extending the lead to almost 20 by full-time.
“The girls all played really, really well they did a great job,” James Sheahan coach Kylie Jordan said.
“The under-14 girls won quite convincingly too, so it was another good year for the school.”
Kinross coach Sophie Fardell couldn’t fault the performance either, she labelled the side “just too good”.
She lauded James Sheahan though and admitted beating a side which is essentially Life Studio’s Orange Netball Association Toyota Cup side was always going to be tough, even though her side plays in that competition as well.
Life Studio guns Em Brisbane, Lucy Brisbane, Annie Miller, Beth Curtin, Brooke Burcher, Erin Turner, Tara Nagle and Brigette Jasprizza all featured in the victory among others, with Miller being injected back into the side after missing the round robin games.
Prior the finals Jordan had expressed her desire to see the side’s year 12 students – many of whom had played in the competition in every year they were at the school – check out with a win.
They got that, while the under-14 victory proved the future remains bright.
“We only lose three of our squad of 11 from the opens, so we should still be strong,” Jordan said.
“Obviously with the under-14 side winning too the future looks good.”
Orange High didn't come away from the finals empty handed though, justifying their favouritism in the intermediate division and claiming that trophy with a win over James Sheahan.
Considering the quality of players in that Orange High side, early signs point towards the Hornets giving the open division a real shake in next year’s edition of the tournament.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
