That’s the message to the Corowa-Rutherglen netballers ahead of a pre-Christmas pre-season that hopes to carry them into an elusive Ovens and Murray grand final.

This year’s preliminary finalists will use a triathlon in early January as a mini-milestone to an off-season that looks to build on the speed and stamina that carried them deep into September.

Coach Beck O’Connell said the first of four training sessions begins next Wednesday.

“Clearly the high energy game that was so successful for us this year demands a high level of fitness,” she said.

“But we don’t want to overdo it and so the Corowa triathlon is the perfect way to break up that training, set a goal ahead of the season opener.”

The Roos were the surprise packet of the Ovens and Murray year.

Six years ago they couldn’t field an A-grade squad but last year’s team roared into the finals before meeting a ruthless Yarrawonga in the penultimate game.

O’Connell believes they had come to the end of their season in the preliminary final hiding.

“That was the end of seven weeks of must win games — games that had seen us get a draw against Wodonga, play North Albury and Lavington twice before coming up against Yarra — we were spent,” she said.

“We had decided midweek that we would just go out there and play our own game but the Pigeons had come up with a plan to thwart our style of play.

“They cut off our options, knew the spaces we would look to exploit and by quarter-time already had a 12-goal lead.

“We weren’t prepared for that and never got a look in.

“We realised how far we had come in one season.”