Three peat fairytale for Coote sisters
Golden girls Tessa and Lydia Coote after their third consecutive Tasmanian Netball State League championship win.
July 24 2024
Scottsdale’s Coote sisters have been riding a wave of emotion since claiming a three-peat in the Tasmanian Netball League championship with an eight-goal win over arch-rival Cavaliers.
The Northern Hawks’ grand final glory had extra sentiment for co-captain Tessa, who has retired after more than 100 state matches – going out on top as the game’s MVP.
“I had already told my team-mates and coaches that this would be my last year so it was a fairytale ending to win and go out on a high,” Tessa said.
“I feel like I am peaking at the moment and had a fantastic year personally. We have lost one game in three years and there is so much talent coming through I just felt like it was the perfect time to finish up.
“Travelling into Launceston twice a week for training and then games on top of my full-time job as a farmer starts to get to you after 10 years.”
The weekend finishes a successful year for Tessa, who captained the Tasmanian mixed side to a silver medal in the national championships and was selected in the mixed Australian squad.
The sisters said it was a relief to win their third straight title and their fourth in six years of making the last dance.
“It feels more of a relief, finishing off a great season being undefeated and all our hard work has been cemented as champions,” Lydia said
“It’s hard to acknowledge at the time that you are in the moments in your life that you’ll cherish forever, I’m sure we will look back on it and think how lucky we were to not only win
grand finals but to do it alongside each other.”
Lydia will notch up her century for the Hawks early next season and her sister will be cheering from the sidelines.
“I probably won’t miss a game – I am their number one fan,” Tessa said.
But it’s the end of an era for the sisters, who started playing together for Scottsdale Netball Club.
“I haven’t decided what I will do next year – I might play Div 1 in Launceston but if I play in the NENA it will definitely be for Scottsdale where I have played since I was 10,” Tessa said.
Added Lydia: “It will be different to not have Tess, it will feel like something is missing, which I’m sure the other girls will feel too.
“Going into the last quarter, we all agreed in our player huddle that we were going to put everything out there to not only win but win for Tess.”
The Hawks won 56-48.