They’ve come close at times, and they’ve preserved against adversity, and finally, they get the reward.

Myrtleford Saints’ A grade netball squad celebrated their first victory on the court since Easter on Saturday, saluting over the Albury Tigers for the second time this year, coming up with the goods 39-35.

After a harrowing 30-goal loss to the languishing Rovers last weekend, the Saints were eager for a response, and their intent to perform was on display from the first whistle.

The Saints shot four of the first five goals to set the tone, while; defensively remaining strong, winning key turnovers.

With a four-goal quarter time lead, Myrtleford continued to surge, pushing the margin out to nine goals by the half.

Albury clicked into gear as the match wore on, matching it with the Saints through the third term.

The Tigers came hard after the final change of ends, and despite winning the last quarter, Myrtleford had enough on the board to fight it out and grind out the win.

Saints coach Olivia La Spina said it had been a long time coming, but she was thrilled with the performance from every player.

“I'm really proud of the girls for Saturday’s performance.

“We were disappointed on the back of playing Rovers, so we went in with a real focus on what our first quarter looks like.

“We want physical, high intensity netball and that's what we delivered, and I think that gave us confidence for the rest of the game.

“Overall, we were really proud of the win.

“It's been a long time between drinks but it's something we haven't stopped striving for so I'm just happy the girls were able to get reward for effort.”

With several junior players stepping up to the senior ranks this season and getting experience at the top level, it can only mean a bright future for Myrtleford netball going forward.

La Spina said the young guns had gelled really well with the experienced campaigners, especially on Saturday.

“We had Felicity Lincoln make her A grade debut which was well-deserved,” she said.

“She gave us a real edge in the second and third quarter, holding strong under the post and putting some crucial shots.

“I thought our juniors in Zahra Hazeldine, Milla Corcoran and Lily Boyer all played pivotal roles in ensuring we held onto the lead we created.

“Niamh Thorn and Tayla Cartwright set the tone early in defence rebounding some crucial balls early giving us momentum back down the court.

“Emma Sharp was fuelled with confidence and shot some big goals early which also lifted the team.

“Saige Broz and Jorja Reidy were ruthless through the midcourt.

“Their intensity and creative ball use made our game look slick and hard for Albury's defenders.”

While their chance at finals may be shot, the Saints will be eager to acquit themselves well when they take on second-placed Wodonga Raiders at McNamara Reserve on Saturday.

In other results, the B graders suffered a narrow loss 24-33, C grade won 45-47, the under 17s got up 38-32, and the under 15s went down 20-37.