AN IMMENSELY proud Nathan Boyd paid tribute to his Dandenong Stingrays girls and in particular the leadership group who overcame preseason challenges and the pressure of an undefeated season to lift the Talent League Girls premiership cup aloft.

In the aftermath of premiership glory, Boyd described the feeling as “pretty surreal” watching his players celebrate the achievement with their families post-game at Whitten Oval.

“I think you prepare the worst and then the girls just showed up today and they’ve done what they’ve done all year, and I’m just really proud,” Boyd said. “You just watch the way they played that game out and they controlled what they had to control and they executed really well. “Just really proud and obviously super happy for the girls because they’ve worked so hard this year and even last year. It was awesome.”

Losing a couple of key players prior to the 2026 season, Boyd said the ability for the leaders to come together and focus on what they could control, was inspirational for all those around the group. While many clubs might have struggled, the top-age leaders from captain Marlee Black to the experience of Scarlett Marsh, Gabrielle Mehrmann and Jasmine Whitten, lead from the front, drawing praise from coach Boyd.

“I just think it’s the players. They just took it in their stride,” Boyd said. “We were all as coaches we talked about the changes and what it was going to mean. “You got Marlee Black who stood up as a leader and just owned the place. “You’ve got Marshy, you’ve got Gabby, who as leaders, Jas Whitten, just stood up and galvanised the group and the connection that they’ve got is probably something different to most. It’s just stripping fat and working with each other and they were fantastic. It was such an awesome group and I’m so proud of them and I’m so happy they get to enjoy this.”

Twelve months ago, Dandenong Stingrays reached the final day of the Talent League Girls season, but unlike the jubilation of ’26, it was heartbreak, having fallen short to an all-conquering Eastern Ranges outfit. The parrallels between the two are there, with the Ranges coming off a defeat to Oakleigh Chargers the year before, just as the Stingrays were this year, and there would be no denying them.

An undefeated season does not guarantee a premiership, and unfortunately the Stingrays know that better than most. In 2022 in the first year after the global pandemic, Dandenong produced an unbeaten year only to be upset on the final day by a Western Jets outfit that included the likes of Montana Ham and Charlotte Baskaran. Fast forward to 2026, and the Stingrays, at their third chance of asking, delivered the maiden girls’ flag.

When asked about how the 2025 heartbreak helped shape the 2026 premiership, Boyd said it would have had more impact on the staff given the “transient” nature of the competition, with many of the now premiership players not taking part in last year’s loss.

“You lose your top-agers, your bottom-agers come through and a lot of them weren’t here so to be fair they didn’t know what it felt like, but for us it was the preparation and being able to come into the game knowing what was coming or what was going to happen,” he said.

“I know for the staff at least we felt much more comfortable and the girls seemed to come in with really, really good mental health and ready to play, so it helped with that. “Then obviously just learning some lessons about how important early in the game can be and then managing your composure because we know how big of a day it can be.”

Incredibly, Dandenong came within a goal of missing out on the opportunity three weeks earlier when a plucky Geelong Falcons almost caused the upset of the season. Boyd conceded the Falcons brought the heat and “executed finals footy” to a t, and were ultimately better than the Stingrays for “long periods” throughout the first half. Fortunately for his side, they galvanised once more and got it done, which set them up for the breakthrough flag.

“I had belief that we’d have a moment and Marshy’s goal from the stoppage was that moment and it probably set us in motion for the rest of the finals,” Boyd said. “But they’ve been a really reliable group in a sense that they get challenged and they’ll bounce back and they’ve shown that again today. “They’re such a reliable group so there’s always a little bit of faith in them.”

The Stingrays headed to Shepley Oval to celebrate the club’s maiden flag, and while the boys’ program fell agonisingly short of making it a double delight of a day, the girls’ brought back the silverware for the first time. However there isn’t too much time to enjoy for the staff, with the Stingrays’ V/Line cup campaign already underway today in Gippsland.

But no doubt the players will be basking in premiership glory and what they’ve achieved for some time yet.