Colts Divas beat Brothers Crimson in double extra time grand final thriller

Team halts rivals’ incredible nine-year winning run in Rockhampton Netball’s Senior A competition

Netball: Colts Divas' Carmen Anderson.

Colts Divas’ Senior A netball premiership win was a perfectly scripted swansong for player/coach Carmen Anderson.

The minor premiers ended Brothers Crimson’s nine-year dominance in a double extra time grand final thriller at the CQUniversity Community Sports Complex on Saturday night.

Level at the end of regular time and then 15 minutes of extra time, Colts achieved the required two-goal margin when co-captain Lily Bartlem landed the winner to seal a 71-69 victory.

Anderson described it as a “rollercoaster of a game”.

“It was so intense, it was so close,” she said.

“Honestly, that was one of my favourite games ever.

“It was my last - I am retiring, so to finish like that was pretty special.

“You dream of that and you wish and hope and pray it will happen and when it does it’s quite surreal.

“It was a magical night.”

Colts Divas after their thrilling win over Brothers Crimson in Rockhampton Netball's Senior A grand final.

Anderson said it was the perfect way to end her career.

“I’ve been injured for the last couple of months, and basically running on one leg,” she said.

“The body has told me that’s enough.”

Anderson started playing netball when she was eight years old but not long after switched her sporting focus to swimming.

She returned to the game in her late teens and has been a regular on court since.

She said Saturday’s final was a high-quality game, with talent in every position on the court on both sides.

She said it took a full team performance to get the win.

Anderson said Bartlem and Taylah Cox were cool and calm in the shooting circle, and Emily Scott was tireless in the mid-court.

She also praised the defensive efforts of Casey Daniel, Taylor Wark and Lynette Beckett Mason.

“Brothers have just been so dominant. They’ve been the benchmark, everyone’s been chasing them for a long time,” she said.

“It was a very special game to be a part of, and we stuck in for what was basically five quarters.

“We left it all out on the court.”

Originally published as Colts Divas beat Brothers Crimson in double extra time grand final thriller