BARRIER might not have won a match in the nine it has played at the NSW PSSA Girls’ Netball Carnival in Tamworth but that hasn’t stopped the smallest region from excelling.
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Yesterday the Jessica Thompson-coached-and-managed side lost all five games to South Coast (49-9), Sydney South West (42-18), North Coast (29-10), Polding (45-12) and Riverina (47-3) but that won’t stop the girls from taking the court with enthusiastic smiles this morning when they play Western on Court 2 from 8.30am.
While Sydney North are unbeaten and head into the final five rounds of play today favoured to win the title, Barrier will be battling it out against bigger teams from much bigger population areas.
“It’s been a great tournament,” Thompson said yesterday.
“It’s a great experience for the girls.”
She had around 40 students attend the selection trials from the five public schools in Broken Hill and two from the Wentworth region (NSW side of the Murray River).
Broken Hill’s population, she said, has declined to around 16,000.
So tackling the big metro regions is a massive effort for Barrier.
Belinda Meppem’s North West side also struggled again yesterday and sits a point above Barrier on the points table.
They have endured a few injuries and another tough day yesterday, losing all three games before finishing with five more games today.
Dorothy Vearing is the manager of the MacKillop side that sits equal fourth with Hunter, six points adrift of unbeaten Sydney North.
They lost to Sydney North 29-18 yesterday on a day where they had two wins from five games.
“We didn’t have a good day,” Vearing said.
“We’ll end up somewhere in the middle.
“We had some tough games today but it’s been fantastic for the girls, a great level of netball for them.”
And that’s what it is all about.
Something carnival convener Pate Cooper extolled in her official welcome to all the teams at the start of the carnival.
“School sport offers opportunities for all students to make new friends, discover their sporting potential and appreciate the talents and differences of others while experiencing success and achievement,” she said.
“It develops physical growth, positive attitudes and fair play.”
Sydney North may well go through unbeaten and deserve to win the carnival but Barrier will be winners too, given their small population base, as they produce the Olympic ideals of the “true spirit of sport”.
