Needing a win to have a chance of finishing in the top five, the Bombers lost to the Saints 38-31, a seven-goal defeat that sees their season come to an end.
With everything to play for, LG made a good start in the do-or-die match-up, leading for most of the first half with its finals future on the line.
But Heathcote’s defensive pressure overwhelmed the Bombers in the second half, with the Saints hitting the front in the third term and holding on for victory.
LG coach Lauren Dehne said the loss was unfortunate, but gave full credit to the Saints for their performance.
“It definitely wasn’t the result we were after and it is a disappointing end to the season, but Heathcote played a really, really good game, so hats off to them, they deserved the win,” Dehne said.
“It was tight, we were in the lead for most of the first half but they got the jump on us in the third quarter, their defensive pressure was really good.
“We tried a few things in the last term to try and get it back but they didn’t work for us, and they ran away with the win.”
The defeat means LG’s season is now over. The Bombers finished eighth on the ladder, but were just one game outside of the top five.
Dehne said it was a tough way for their season to end, and admitted with a chance to make finals, the result was a missed opportunity.
“One hundred per cent it is, this whole season has felt full of missed opportunities. It has been a roller-coaster year for us, we have had opportunities all year to get into the finals,” she said.
“We knew we had it all on the line. We were excited and we came out fired up and our first half was really good, but we succumbed to their pressure in the end.
“We can’t dwell on it. You learn, move on and hopefully come back bigger and better next season and hopefully we’ll take those opportunities when we get them next year.
“I’m really positive looking into the future. I really think we are a finals team, and that is definitely the aim next season. We now know we are capable of it, hopefully we come out really firing at the start of next year.”
On the flip side, the victory is a bittersweet moment for the Saints who narrowly missed out on reaching the finals themselves.
Their triumph over LG and results elsewhere saw Heathcote move up to sixth on the ladder, one game behind fifth-placed Huntly.
The Hawks were awarded four points from their clash against Elmore last round after the Bloods fielded an ineligible player, with those points proving to be vital in the end.
White Hills, Elmore, Mount Pleasant, Colbinabbin and Huntly will now compete for the Heathcote District Netball League crown when the finals kick off this weekend.
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