Wimmera and Horsham District teams rise to the occasion at Association Championships in Melbourne

Both teams coaches said the players should be incredibly proud of what they were able to achieve.

Wimmera League Under 15 representative team coach Vernetta Taylor said the team had risen to the occasion.

"We were competing with the best of the best, and the Wimmera team really did match it with every team that we came up against," Taylor said.

"There were some close ones we didn't quite get over the line, but at the end of the day I'm very proud of how the team performed."

"The league, the clubs, the players and their families should all be very proud of their achievements."

The Wimmera team finished 6th overall, while Horsham District league finished in the top twelve.

"This was the first time any of the players had been involved in the association championships, so there was certainly a lot of excitement about the day," Taylor said.

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"All of the players embraced the opportunity; they absolutely played their best netball, which was wonderful to see."

While Taylor said it was a whole team effort, she highlighted Maddison Bethune as the Wimmera League's player of the tournament.

"She was a standout performer for us, she was able to maintain an exceptionally high level of player for the whole day," Taylor said.

"Maddison's a beautiful player anyway, but she really just lifted on the day and produced some beautiful netball.

"The whole team lifted really, and played just beautifully."

Taylor said while the day's "high intensity" never wavered, it was an experience that held the players in good stead for the future.

"It's been an invaluable experience, the girls have really been pushed and they absolutely rose to the occasion," Taylor said.

"It's shown them the level (of netball) they can achieve, that they're striving for.

"They will bring that back to their clubs and it's a great experience as they look towards finals now."

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Horsham District League Under 13 coach Sharon Fedke was equally praising of her side's performance.

"It was a really big day, I'm really proud of how they attacked the day and how they played," Fedke said.

"None of them had been down to Melbourne and played at that level before... just seeing the facilities their eyes were almost popping out of their heads, it was such a great experience for them."

"We haven't had a Horsham District league side go to the state titles for many, many years."

Horsham District burst out of the blocks to win their first two matches of the day.

"We put two really good wins on the board... as the day went on, we played harder and harder teams," Fedke said.

Some of the sides the team came up against were tough.

"The kids from the opposition, they're just so big, and they've got a bigger pool to draw from... we looked so so little compared to some of them other teams," Fedke said.

"To our credit, the kids played their hearts out all day and were really competitive... they just kept fighting and never gave up."

Having both leagues with representative teams at the championship showcases the region's talent, Taylor said.

"These kids being in regional Victoria, unfortunately sometimes don't get the same opportunities as athletes in metro areas," Taylor said.

"But it just shows that we're producing some beautiful netballers out of our region, and they can really mix it with the best."

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