WABL Championship Women into the Grand Final on Sunday

This Sunday our WABL Championship Women will play in the Grand Final whilst the Men will play in the Semi-Finals hoping to book their spot in the Grand Final the following week. The Women beat Cockburn by 10 points in the Semi Final to reach the Grand Final whilst the Men had a convincing quarter final win over Bunbury to make the Semi’s.

Former NBL1 and WABL Championship player Danika Pisconeri shared her thoughts about the team and gives us an insight on what it has been for her as a first year coach.

“I would like to start with a huge thank you to the family and friends who have come along each Sunday to support the team. Especially the NBL1 players who come every week and are there on the bench cheering the girls on and giving feedback. The culture we have around one club is so amazing and I am very thankful for the girls showing up each week to be part of it.

I am so proud of the team making it to the Grand Final, especially after some injuries in our first final meaning we had 6 players for the semi. This is my first year as a coach and not a player and I am very appreciative of Matt and Mark, after having won the last two years with the championship women, allowing me to be the coach this year. Craig has been the assistant coach and allowed me to be head coach on game days. I have really appreciated the trust and confidence he has shown in me as a coach and I believe this has allowed me to grow and develop in the role.

We said goodbye to some of our core group last year who went off to college and although we miss them both on and off the court, we are fortunate enough to have a strong and competitive culture here at hawks that everyone in the squad this year has stepped up. Across the season different people have had “big games” but everyone who plays does their role and contributes to our success.

This group is amazing to work with. They all genuinely enjoy each other’s company and strike a balance between being social and having fun but knowing when it is time to focus and compete. For three weeks in a row NBL1 had two games, meaning the championship women were playing 3 games and although some fatigue did set in there were no complaints about being there and it is a testament to the selfless and team first mindset of the girls. Some players have stepped up this year in a leadership role and I’m very proud of their growth. We have been working on being consistent across four quarters as the season has progressed and I believe we are achieving this goal at the right time.

The Grand Final will be a great game and a tough one against Mandurah. I believe we are up for the challenge, and I cannot wait for Sunday!”

Get down to Bendat and cheer on your Hawks this Sunday July 14th

WABL Championship Women   Grand-Final  Hawks vs Mandurah     2pm Court 1

WABL Championship Men         Semi-Final     Hawks vs Eagles            5pm Court 2