You have to lose a grand final before you can win one.
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Pete Shea doesn't necessarily subscribe to that theory, but the Orange CYMS coach says his side will hopefully be better for the experience.
The green and golds went agonisingly close to securing the 2019 women's Premier League Hockey on Saturday but in the end an Amelia Leard dagger with six minutes left on the clock proved a telling blow.
Shea said his side expected Panthers to give themselves enough opportunity to win the title - all good sides do - but he knows CYMS, too, had enough chances to win the game.
They executed better in critical moments. We had some opportunities, but we weren't quite there.
- CYMS coach Pete Shea
And that's where the learning curve begins.
"They built a bit of pressure on us and that second goal was just a result of not being in the moment, thinking a little bit too far ahead," Shea said.
"They executed better in critical moments. We had some opportunities, but we weren't quite there."
He said Lithgow won the moments that mattered in the decider.
- READ MORE: All the photos from the 2019 women's Premier League Hockey grand final
- READ MORE: St Pat's shoot out of the blocks to claim men's champion crown
- READ MORE: Bathurst Panthers secure Group 10 grand final hosting rights after thrashing Orange Hawks
"Youth doesn't quite process the things that happened today, it happens a bit to quickly. And we probably don't understand how moments are critical and we didn't take advantage of the moments we had.
"If that's what they take out of it, then we'll be a better side for it."
Shea was pleased with the effort from his entire side in the grand final, the CYMS club's first women's decider since 2002.
The 2019 season is also just CYMS' second back in the regional competition, and Shea said he was proud of the development of his team in such a short space of time.
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