Will it translate to premierships? All will be told on Sunday.
While the club’s A-grade side appeared to be top dog all season, a preliminary final loss to Euroa means it’s now up to the Cats’ B-graders to get the job done for the senior contingent.
Retribution is on the cards as the Goulburn Valley League B-grade grand final contested between Mooroopna and Euroa, with the Cats’ second division side handed a chance to avenge their clubmates.
Bree Hanslow, who has overseen the B-grade outfit under her mum Di’s tutelage alongside Matt Healey, said the club was breaking new ground when it comes to holistic success.
That considered, a win over Euroa on Sunday could be the start of a new era for the Cats.
“It’s really exciting to have the B-graders make the grand final, I think that’s the first time potentially that we’ve had a B-grade side (do that),” Hanslow said.
“So from a club perspective, that’s really new territory and exciting territory to be heading into.
“Euroa has got so much experience and they’re such a talented team.
“We haven’t been able to get across the line against them during the season or in the first final that we played either, but as a unit our B-grade unit have been developing and growing throughout the season.”
Mooroopna’s B-grade unit is blended excellently with youth and experience, working in harmony to finish second in the home-and-away season behind Euroa.
Despite losing to the Magpies in the qualifying final, the Cats went on to oust Shepparton in the semis then Rochester — featuring Morgan Dingwall, Linda Rasmussen and Rachel Whipp — by two goals in the prelim.
Mooroopna staples such as Georgia Gattuso and Chloe Meulenmeesters have had their fair share of A-grade minutes in 2024 while green shoots like Demi Hendy only look a season or so away from being a ready-made senior starter.
They’ll have to go shoulder to shoulder with wise heads such as Kelly Hill and Sarah Ternes on Sunday, but Hanslow has little concern the Cats’ B-grade side has the ability to match the Magpies in the big dance.
“We’ve got a few girls in there who do have finals experience and were in the 17s premiership last year so that’s fantastic that they’ve stepped up into that B-grade group this year,” she said.
“And we’ve got a lot of versatility which works in our favour, a really strong core group in there so they’re really excited to try and push Euroa this weekend and see if we can go one step further.”
