The Western Warriors limped to the line in the Victorian Netball League on Wednesday night.
With injuries and unavailability, the Warriors were limited in what they could do in their final match of the season against a finals-bound Hawks side.
The Warriors had a slow start on Wednesday night, and trailed by 16 goals at the main break.
Not known for their strong second halves, the Warriors showed some fight to win the final half by one goal.
But the damage had already been done with the Hawks winning 67-52.
Coach Kim Bailey said they finished the season OK against a very strong side.
She said last time they played the Hawks it was one of their worst performances of the season and they showed some improvement.
“They just supply relentless pressure,” she said of the Hawks.
“They closed the ball down at every opportunity and we didn’t really know how to respond to that.
“At half time we regathered and I think we had a really good second half. But they blew us out of the water in the first half.
“A bit of a flip of what has been happening for us.”
Already without Tayla Honey with a hyperextended elbow and no Molly Kennedy, the Warriors were dealt another blow late with Elly Randall unable to get out of work and being a late out.
It left them with only two circle defenders for the match.
Bailey said they were trying to scrap through to the end of the season but she was happy with how they finished in the second half of the final game.
Kim Borger finished with 27 goals for the Warriors, while Rebecca Hicks shot 20.
The Warriors finish with six wins of the season, the same as their first season. They finished in eighth spot.
Bailey said the two seasons were very different.
“I think this season we were more united and you could see that we were coming together as a club,” she said.
“It was a very even season with lots of teams around the same position on the ladder. It is tough.
“Brillant players in there. We would have liked to go one more [win] up on last year, but that is just the nature of the beast.”
Bailey said they had seen some real development in their squad throughout the season.
She highlighted Sarah Croft, who has become an amazing midcourter, while Hicks has stepped straight into the championship side and done a great job in goals.
The match was the final VNL game for captain Kim Borger, who has announced her retirement at this level.
The Warriors 23 and under side finished the season with a 62-52 loss.
The Warriors finished in 10th spot with four wins, 13 losses and a draw.
Tara Murray
