Crookwell's trio star for ANU in Capital League grand final

Jess Smith, Shelley Watson, and Jenna Cartwright all played crucial roles in ANU's 1-1 (5-4) win over Tuggeranong on Saturday, which was the club's second title in as many years.

At the conclusion of the final, Smith was named Player of the Match, but she insisted that anybody could have come away with that accolade.

"I said to people after the game that you couldn't pick the standout," Smith said.

"I think I was just the lucky one. I played well but you couldn't pick one player, everyone played well."

Prior to the team's win in 2018, ANU women hadn't won a grand final for over 15 years.

To win two in two years, Smith said, was a culmination of hard work behind the scenes and the culture which had developed throughout the team.

"You never really know [what your form is like] and you don't know until the first couple of games of the season," she said.

"Our team from last year to this year hasn't really lost players but we've gained people ... which was a bit of a shock for us because that doesn't really happen.

"It shows that you are on the field how you are off the field. We're great mates off the field and I think that shows on the field."

It was particularly special for Smith to share in another grand final victory with Watson and Cartwright, who she described as "two of my best friends".

The trust that permeates the team was particularly important in Saturday's match, especially as it headed towards the penalty shootout.

Up until the full-time buzzer went, both teams played hard to break the deadlock which followed Tuggeranong's goal early in the fourth quarter.

While for most players, the prospect of a penalty shootout is nerve-wracking, the mutual belief shared between Smith and the rest of the players came to the fore.

"We've got I think one of the best keepers in the comp [Peta Sutherland]," Smith said, "so when it went to shootout I was quietly confident."

Following the team's victory and subsequent celebrations, Smith said that she has fully recovered.

"I was a bit sore and sorry for myself on Sunday, but I'm recovered now and ready to get back into training," she said.

That training is in preparation for the first round of the Hockey One tournament, in which the Canberra Chill will play its first match this Sunday.