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PANTHERS were run off the court in last year's Bathurst Netball Association A grade preliminary final by Collegians Mystified but in Saturday's edition between the two clubs the script was flipped.
Panthers denied the competition a rematch of last year's grand final by taking down Collegians 39-31 at the John Matthews Sporting Complex, setting up a clash this coming weekend against defending champions Bulldogs Verdelho.
It was a satisfying return to the decider for Panthers after going down to the same opponents by 15 points in this exact fixture last year.
![Abby Williams lines up a shot in Saturday's win for Panthers. Picture by Phil Blatch. Abby Williams lines up a shot in Saturday's win for Panthers. Picture by Phil Blatch.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YpbCWLfGAstDHC22gJwdbm/0d98b062-72a0-4465-8c23-4f6e9ccc0962.jpg/r1617_0_5472_2651_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Panthers gradually pulled away to be seven points up at the half-time break but Collegians produced a huge third quarter to take a slender one point lead into the final term.
That's when Panthers stepped things up again, pulling away with a run of successful shots to make their return to the big game.
Panthers captain Maddi Johnson said it was satisfying to go one step further following last year's preliminary final disappointment.
"It was really devastating last year when we didn't win this same game so it's nice not to have history repeat itself," she said.
"All the girls are really excited and for most of us it'll be our first grand final with Panthers.
"We had a poor third quarter but we were able to reset and take charge again, which was nice. A lot of netball is just a bit of a mental battle. It was a really strong finish.
"It's an exciting way to progress into the big one."
Collegians coach Mel Noonan said it was a rough start that came back to hurt the team.
"We made a few errors, and they had us for that first half," she said.
"Our shooting percentage was probably not as high as we would have liked, and we had a lot of balls thrown away - though I must say their defence did a great job at forcing those turnovers.
"It was just one of those games. It was a really great match, and full credit to Panthers for taking it out."
It ends a lengthy run of grand final appearances not only for the Collegians A grade team but also for Noonan as a coach.
"This is the first time in 17 years that I haven't had a team in a grand final," she said.
"I'm pretty proud to say that I've had a run like that. I can't imagine there would be too many coaches down here with a similar record, to be able to say you've had a team in a grand final since I've been coaching competitive netball.
"It was obviously disappointing this year but the girls played their hearts out. It was just a bit unlucky at the end and those missed shots at the end came back."
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