Eleanor Cardwell’s return to netball did not end with the result she would have hoped with the Mavericks Reserves going down, 57-67, to the Fever Reserves in the Super Netball Reserves Grand Final.
Three months after her second round of knee surgery inside six months derailed her season, Cardwell started the finale on the bench but soon came into effect sinking the Super Shot buckets fans have come to know her for.
Despite her combination with Teal Hocking helping the Mavs out of a 14-goal half-time deficit, the Fever’s attacking combination proved too strong as did their zonal defence.
By the last quarter the Fever were in cruise control, stretching their lead to 19 with 10 minutes left in the final.
As the match entered its final Power Five the Fever's advantage was 17 and - despite a Super Shot masterclass from Hocking and Cardwell - it was not meant to be.
"If we were playing SuperCoach the value in Hocking would be shooting up," commentators said of Hocking's performance.
While disappointing not to have claimed victory, the fact the Mavs Reserves reached the Grand Final in their inaugural reserves season is testament to the depth of the squad.
Speaking after the match, Mavs Reserves captain, Sacha McDonald, said: "I'm so proud of our first ever Mavs Reserves and the legacy we've started."
"Our season has shown the depth of talent in our squad, and I can't wait to see what next year brings."
Before the Grand Final, Mavs Assistant Coach and Head of Pathways, Nicole Richardson, paid tribute to the squad.
Richardson and the Mavs first team were unable to support their Reserves in the Grand Final because of an away match against the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane.
“We are really proud of the team,” Richardson said.
“We were really confident in the team we selected at the start of the season, but we also though that some of the Mavs Training Partners – such as Uneeq Palavi and Jessie Grenvold – might have been more available to the line-up throughout the season, so for them to be clearly in the top two teams in their inaugural season is really a credit to [head coach] Tracey [Brereton], and the entire squad.”
“The Super Netball Reserves is the premier pathway competition for Australian netball talent, so there’s going to be some really great talent on display at Waverley this week."
