Hampden league snares two state titles at Netball Victoria Association Championships

It is the first time the league has won two state titles in the same year.

The 17 and under squad dug deep to win 14-11 in the grand final against Banyule and Districts, reversing an earlier two-goal loss to clinch the championship.

Co-coaches Sophie Hinkley and Nadine McNamara told The Standard they were incredibly proud of the talented group.

"We're so proud of the group, we brought 12 girls down here knowing it would be 11-round games and potentially finals," McNamara said.

"We were so lucky we were able to rotate the girls throughout the day and it not impact the performances, so we're proud of the combinations we could put out."

Hinkley said the group was confident it would rise to the occasion in the decider.

"We were confident going into the finals that we would be able to beat them, because in these really short games it's about having momentum at the right times," she said.

"When we played them in the rounds we made an error in the last 30 seconds and they won by two, so we knew we could match them."

Hinkley added the talent coming through the Hampden league was exciting.

"It's a testament to our open team and our junior competitions in the Hampden league," he said.

"The open team was a bit light on (in the finals) and we would have been able to loan them a player if we didn't need all of ours because our depth in the squad.

"Our girls have such great exposure, so it's a testament to the strength of our league and being able to expose the junior girls to open netball."

Dot Jenkins and Marie Wall's 13 and under squad also won its grand final 15-6 against St Albans/Caroline Springs, going through the day undefeated.

The squad was unstoppable across the morning and afternoon to be the standout team across the state in an indicator in the supreme junior talent across the region.

The Open Female squad enjoyed a strong and consistent finals campaign, falling short in the semi-final 16-8 to the Bendigo Football Netball League despite missing some key players.

The Will Jamison-coached group picked up wins against Outer East, Murray, Western Region, Sandringham District and Goulburn Valley.

Stacey O'Sullivan and Skye Billings' 15 and under squad also fell narrowly short of making the grand final, going down to Banyule and Districts 13-11 in the semi but enjoyed a strong and competitive day.

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