The Swans had a tournament full of challenges and triumphs and reached the bronze medal play-off against South Australia, but ultimately lost by 17 goals.
The Marie Little Shield competition featured seven teams from around Australia consisting of female players with an intellectual disability.
Held over one weekend, teams played seven games in three days at the Waverley Netball Centre in Melbourne.
Western Australia got their tournament off to a strong start, with a 38-1 win over the Australian Capital Territory.
They then played their two toughest matches against New South Wales and Victoria to round out the first day of play. Despite plenty of effort, both games ended with the opposition winning 34-3.
On day two, in the fourth round, the Swans faced South Australia in a replay of last year’s third place play-off. The South Australian side prevailed in a tight contest by eight goals but Western Australia were able to, record the equal highest score from a losing team for the tournament.
The Swans rebounded in Round Five defeating Queensland 21-5. The win was crucial to help secure fourth place and a spot in the bronze medal match.
Western Australia started the final day of proceedings with another win to close out the round robin stage with a 19-goal victory over the Northern Territory to lock in their spot in the top four.
After six games across two and a half days, the Swans finished the round robin stage with three wins and three losses to put them in the third place play-off against South Australia.
South Australia were able to get off to a strong start and were able to keep Western Australia an arm’s length away for the rest of the game.
The Western Swans were helped with the financial costs of attending the Marie Little Shield competition thanks to a travel grant from the Confident Girls Foundation.
Results:
Round 1: Western Swans 38 defeated Australian Capital Territory 1
Round 2: Western Swans 3 lost to New South Wales 34
Round 3: Western Swans 3 lost to Victoria 34
Round 4: Western Swans 13 lost to South Australia 21
Round 5: Western Swans 21 defeated Queensland 5
Round 6: Bye
Round 7: Western Swans 22 defeated Northern Territory 3
3rd Place Play-off: Western Swans 9 lost to South Australia 26
