How resilient South Aussies fought back to claim bronze

ANYONE who has ever stepped foot onto any sporting arena knows keeping spirits up after a one-sided loss can be an uphill challenge.

Yet, that’s just what the School Sport SA 15 Years and Under Girls did at the School Sport Australia Championship.

After an early 0-9 loss to New South Wales, the girls brushed it off to respond the next day, which delighted coach Peter Garlick.

“What stood out for me was the fact that they all helped each other,” he said.

“They learnt very quickly and put into practice what they learned, what they needed to learn.

“They rebounded from the really tough game against New South Wales, which it was just one of those things that happened.

“They beat ACT the next day, and they learned from that, which was evidenced from the fact that when they played Queensland, which is who went on to win the championships, they lost 3-1 to them.

“They were the only two games they lost during the whole tournament.”

Their resilience helped improve them game by game, leading to a bronze medal clash with Victoria.

“They tried 100% every second of every game,” Garlick said.

“We beat Victoria in the bronze medal game when we didn't have to, a draw was enough. But, we went out to get a victory, and they all put in to do that.”

Coach Garlick said the team’s attitude was unbelievable.

“The team kept such a positive attitude after such a drubbing,” he said.

“We started off very slowly that game, we were 4-0 down after the first quarter and I think to their credit, they realised where they went wrong and they were determined and they knew how to make amends, which was to attack the ball harder, be stronger on the ball, and be more proactive in tackling.

“I just reminded them what they needed to do, and they put that into practice.”