ANU Griffins bag premiership after dominant performance against Batemans Bay.

By Ryan Bourke. Graphics by Annisa Zatalini.

ANU’s Division 1 women’s team celebrated an epic grand final win after beating the Batemans Bay Seahawks by 18 points on Saturday.

ANU remained dominant across all four quarters of gameplay, with the Seahawks failing to score beyond the second quarter.

Speaking to Observer, coach Declan Butorac said it was a great result for the team, which made an epic comeback after losing to Batemans in last month’s round 1 final.

“Rekindling the belief after that result was a pretty big challenge”, Butorac said.

“But it was a great result with incredible tackling across the board. Ferocity toward the ball kept coming and we controlled the ball from the second half.”

Other highlights from the match include an impressive goal from Caela Welsh, who snapped an impressive banana kick from the forward right pocket to secure a goal in the first quarter, which squad captain Rozie Higgs described as “a one-in-a-million kick”

Saturday’s performance marks the team’s first premiership win since 2022.

Higgs said the team worked hard to customise their gameplay against Batemans in the lead-up to Saturday.

“They [Batemans] are really good in the air with a lot of tall players but we knew we had a chance on the ground so tackling was important.”

Higgs also revealed that pool noodles played a surprising, yet critical role in simulating the pressure that Batemans was known for.

“They also have a lot of tall girls, so we put a pool noodle in a simulated contest to mimic their arms while the ball was kicked in and you had to meet the footy while the other girls chanted ‘believe!’”

“We stayed smiling and laughing throughout the process and that was a really helpful way to minimise stress in the lead-up to the fanfare.”, added Higgs.

Following the win, Higgs says the team partied hard to celebrate.

Asked for a personal highlight, the skipper told Observer the girls passed the cup around the dance floor “for all club members to share in the victory, AKA Hellenic slushies”

For those looking to get involved, pre-season training for 2025 is set to kick off in November with actual training set to commence in mid-January.

Coach Butorac emphasised that new players with no experience are always welcome, noting that this year’s team had “a really good season with lots of new faces.”

You can follow the Griffins on Instagram @anugriffins.

#Upthebuzz

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