As the final minutes ticked away in last week’s Mid Canterbury Netball semi-final between College A and United A, I was nervous.

I was a neutral person on the sideline with a camera and a notepad in my hands, but I was still nervous.

It was a game that could have gone either way.

It was a physical battle, full of drama, and it was simply just great.

So, my fingers are crossed that this weekend’s big final between College A and Celtic A will be just as good, if not better.

And I reckon it will be.

That’s because it’s been quite a netball season.

Unlike last year where Celtic A went through the whole season unbeaten and downed Methven A in the final to put the cherry on top of what was a pretty impressive year, 2019 has been anyone’s game.

Every team has been beaten at least once.

It’s been like one big rollercoaster ride for some teams, with plenty of ups, downs and loop-de-loops leading us to the point where we are at right now.

Saturday will be a massive day at the EA Networks Centre.

While the main premier one and premier grade two games have played out on Thursday nights all season, this year Mid Canterbury Netball is doing things a little bit differently and playing all of its finals on the same day – bar the Wednesday night social grades.

The day’s big feature game will be the premier one final between College A and Celtic A – and it should be a right cracker.

I have been there every Thursday night this season, taking in the action and trying really hard to take photos that don’t include overly screwed up faces, tongues poking out, or undies showing – it’s not easy.

But it’s been great fun.

Last Thursday night, that semi-final between College A and United A had to be a contender for game of the season so far.

It was full-on from go to whoa.

Neither side gave an inch.

Every player on that court put their body on the line for the cause, and the crowd – which was also probably one of the biggest and loudest of the season so far – loved it.

It was the kind of game where it was a shame there had to be a loser.

It was sad for United to lose, after such a huge season where they clawed their way out of premier two to become a true premier one title contender, but it also would have been a tragedy had the young College side lost.

They play a lot of netball, and they’re a team that has grown week after week.

They play with the kind of maturity that you don’t always see with school-aged sides, and they have to go into the final as favourites.

But, Celtic A can never be written off.

Like most teams, they went through a bit of a bad patch in the season’s second round, but they’ve well and truly hit their straps again in recent weeks.

And most of the girls in green have one big thing on their sides – experience, or more importantly, finals experience.

At this point in the season it’s all about the one game.

College A may have had the better of Celtic A so far this season, drawing with them in round one before beating them in rounds two and three, but that doesn’t count for a lot now.

No matter what the sport, a final is a different beast.

There’s nerves and pressure to contend with, and a lot of noise coming from the sidelines.

It all comes down to who handles all of those different factors the best.

What team that will be on Saturday, I don’t know.

But I’m really excited to find out.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 20 August 2019