Rumbalara ‘Aunty Girls’ out to make history on Murray league grand final day

By Zac Standish

Sep 14, 2022

Aunty girls: The Rumbalara C-reserve players Heidi Knowles, Marissa Kerr, Kathy Atkinson, Shani Crumpen, Lisa Thorpe and Michelle Doyle will be looking to bring a maiden premiership back to Mercury Drive on Saturday. Photo by Aydin Payne

The story of Rumbalara’s ‘‘Aunty Girls’’ is one that will go down in the folkore of the club’s rich history.

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A mixture of retired A-graders looking for a bit of fun, youngsters playing up from the under-17s and girls that love their netball and community, this group has come together to form Rumbalara’s C-reserve team for 2022.

And after an arduous season it has taken Rumba to heights they have never before been in the C-reserve competition.

An appearance in the grand final, where they will face Finley for premiership glory.

Beyond the expectations anybody had for the team at the beginning of the season, much loved team member Lisa Thorpe said it was a surreal feeling to be playing off in the big dance.

“I think it is a really deadly achievement for us ‘Aunty Girls’ as we are affectionately known as,” Thorpe said.

“We are on the ageing side of our netball prime I guess, but we have come together and over the course of the season built a special bond.

“So to be in the grand final and be the first Rumbalara C-reserve team to ever make it this far, it is exciting for not just the club, but out entire community.”

The incredible story of the ‘’Aunty Girls’’ begins in the lead up to the season.

Like many regional football netball clubs, the C-reserve team at Rumbalara was struggling for numbers, prompting women like Thorpe into action.

“I came back to play in round three and as far as I understand we were struggling for numbers in the lead up to the season,” she said.

“I had retired a couple of years ago and they reached out to a handful of us who were sitting on the sidelines watching and asked us to fill the gaps.

“And from the moment I joined I just started having so much fun, we didn’t take it too seriously, played for a bit of a laugh and then all of a sudden we started to win and the season snowballed from there.”

Continuously building as the season progressed, the Aunty Girls managed to clinch third spot on the ladder leading into the finals series.

And it has been during the past month where they have truly hit their straps, toppling Deniliquin 39-24 in an elimination final, Barooga 44-37 in a cut-throat semi and winning their way into the big dance with a thrilling 39-38 win over Moama.

Now a win away from the ultimate success, Thorpe said she was trying not to think too much about the enormity of Saturday’s game.

“The more I don’t think about it, the better I am come Saturday,” she said.

“I’ve been in grand finals with A-grade before and know the lead up can be overwhelming, so I am not thinking about the game at all just yet.

“Just like it’s been all year, we will go there to have fun and just hope for the best.”

As for how much a grand final victory would mean, Thorpe said it would be a massive achievement for the team and Rumbalara community.

“Any team that represents Rumba is playing for their people and community,” she said.

“I think this would be a really wonderful thing for Rumbalara, the Yorta Yorta people and everyone else that lives here on Yorta Yorta country and for me it is really exciting to be part of this.”