South Warrnambool's Annie Blackburn speaks to The Standard ahead of the 2023 Hampden league open grand final.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 You're playing in the Grand Final with South Lombo on the weekend, looking to go back-to-back flags.
00:05 What's the feeling like being here at Friendlies this week?
00:08 Yeah, it's really exciting. There's a really good vibe around the club at the moment.
00:12 There's obviously not just open in the Grand Final. We've got a few netball teams and we've
00:16 got all the footy in as well. So yeah, there's a really good vibe at the club at the moment.
00:20 Going back-to-back, it's hard to do. But what do you think has worked for you guys so well this
00:27 year? You've only got the one game. In terms of just carrying what you guys were able to build
00:32 last year, what's been the secret to your guys' success?
00:36 I think the addition with Ali O'Connor back in the team this year has been really instrumental
00:42 for us. She just provides so much in attack. She's always an option and she's just a powerhouse in
00:47 defence. So we're really excited to have her back this year. Obviously, she didn't play last year.
00:52 So I really hope that we win for her to get her first Grand Final. And obviously, just stay with
00:59 our systems and stick to what we know. We know that Cobden are a great team. They're a really
01:05 slick outfit and are really well skilled and well coached. So it'll be a really tough game,
01:10 but we're really looking forward to it. You're looking to get your fourth flag in this
01:15 few. I'd say apart from Ali, everyone was in that team last year to win it. What's it like
01:21 playing on the Grand Final stage and keeping that composure to play out and win the Grand Final?
01:28 Yeah, I've been really lucky to have won three premierships before, so hoping to go for my
01:34 fourth. We know that Cobden have been in a few losing Grand Finals, so it must be really
01:38 obviously hard for them. They obviously really want to get the win on the weekend. So we're
01:44 keeping that in the back of our minds as well. But yeah, we just have to stay composed and
01:49 obviously stick to what we know. But yeah, now we're looking forward to it.
01:53 Going overseas, this could be your final game. What's that just feeling like to
01:59 get to play one more time with this team and potentially get a premiership?
02:04 Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm going to be playing again. So it's bittersweet for me. So I'm just
02:11 really looking forward to going out and just playing my best and playing the best with the
02:15 team. This is a really great team. So yeah, we're just really looking forward to it.
02:21 [END]
02:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]