SHE was smiling, applauding and led the team calls for “she’s alright” in praise of others – not what you would expect from a captain after her side had lost a grand final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But then Katie Kennedy still considered herself a winner.
The Bathurst Giants skipper worked hard in Saturday’s Central West AFL grand final which her side lost 3-5-23 to 2-4-16 to Dubbo.
But for Kennedy, who had begun the season simply hoping to muster enough players each week to avoid forfeits, making the grand final means 2018 was a success.
“I said to the girls that I’m not disappointed at all. For our first year to make it into the grand final, it was just incredible,” Kennedy said.
READ MORE: Valiant Giants fall just short
READ MORE: Grundy is hurt, but still proud
READ MORE: Rebels are left devastated
Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here
"The hardest part was honestly trying to run the bench. We had 11 on the bench and we had about four or five youth girls who are still trying to come into their own and are still learning their footy.
“Honestly to be here in our first year, I’m just speechless.”
While Dubbo got the win, the Giants certainly made them fight for it. They hit hard in tackles, won plenty of contested football and even led at three-quarter time.
Dubbo’s Emily Warner was named best on ground, but Giants duo Minna Annan and Jayarna Kay returned huge performances which made their captain proud.
“It's Minna’s first ever year and AFL and she just killed it and Jay was so good for us this year,” Kennedy said.
“Her talk and everything she does on the field was just amazing, she is a born leader.”