There was not a lot that the side needed to do to make the jump, but some consistent performances made it a successful one.

"I was really pleased with the efforts of A Grade, I think the belief that the group developed over the year in each other was fantastic and the consistency that they finished the season with," coach Kerry Lightfoot told The Courier.

"Consistency was something that we obviously needed to work on, in netball at top level you have to play consistently, that's what good teams do.

"We certainly improved on that and our understanding of how important that is.

"If you look at those top two teams, yes there's some amazing players there but they're very consistent so that's what we're working towards and still improving on."

The campaign did not start exactly as the Grasshoppers would have imagined, falling to Learmonth by eight goals and then facing a bye in round two.

They returned to action strongly, however, and were immediately back in contention for the top four.

A 65-28 win over Carngham-Linton got their season going but the Grasshoppers nearly fell the following week to Waubra, escaping with a two-goal win.

A clash with the much improved Skipton got Rokewood-Corindhap on the right track, prevailing by 14 goals.

From this point the Grasshoppers went from strength-to-strength, winning six of their next seven games and catapulting themselves into the top four.

As it worked out, they were slightly assisted by the end of season fixture, as Springbank had two byes in the last three rounds, opening the door for Rokewood-Corindhap to win its last two games and jump into third spot on the ladder.

In saying that, it played an extra game compared to Springbank, which if it had of lost, would have taken the Grasshoppers' win tally down to the same as Springbank and drop them out of the top four.

The pros and cons of a COVID-19 affected season, I guess.

Not only did Rokewood-Corindhap win those final two games, it beat down on its opponents, defeating Creswick 53-20 in round 15 and Clunes 61-21 in round 17.

With the double-chance up its sleeve and strong form entering the finals, confidence was high in the Grasshoppers squad.

Ultimately it was to no avail, COVID calling an end to the finals series, something that will motivate them next season.

"There's always room for improvement, there's always room for growth, we're certainly fired up and I think we finished the season still building and that's really critical," Lightfoot said.

"We're fired up (for next season), absolutely."

A top four finish was a nice reward for what has been a slow, steady rebuild for Rokewood-Corindhap.

Ladder finishes of 12th, 14th, 14th, 10th and 12th from 2014-2018 were finally improved to a fifth-place finish in 2019 and a semi-final appearance.

Now with a top four appearance under its belt, 2022 presents the challenge of sustaining this success and, if COVID allows, running deeper into the finals towards a preliminary or grand final berth.

It's a task that is easier said than done, with a host of sides dominating much of this season and a group of up-and-coming teams nipping at their heels ready to make a jump into the competition's elite.

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