The Lightning had their backs to the wall for most of the second half of the season and refused to yield until the final night of the regular season.

Their nine lives ran out with a 53-47 loss to minor premiers Hume City Falcons at the State Netball and Hockey Centre last Wednesday night.

"Being confronted with the top team to secure a place in the finals was a daunting task," she said.

"However, the players earned the reputation of having a never-say-die attitude and forced the minor premiers to earn every ball. It was a positive conclusion to the 2010 season."

The Lightning made a positive start to take an early lead.

That evaporated on the back of some unforced errors resulting in turnovers.

The Lightning employed high rotations to counter the Falcons' renowned fitness capacity.

Danni Stewart was moved to wing defence and Olivia Cameron posed a threat at centre.

The Lightning were level pegging at 27-apiece at half-time.

"The moves had the desired effect," Grubb said. "It set the scene for a vital third quarter."

The Lightning could not maintain the rage.

Their shooters - Sophie O'Shea and Julia Knott - were restricted to a mere nine attempts in the third as the Falcons tightened up on defence.

"Unfortunately all the good work put out on court during the second quarter was lost," Grubb said.

O'Shea (30-from-35) and Knott (17-from-20) shot better percentages than the Falcons goalers but could not get their hands on the ball in the attacking as much as they would have liked.

The six-point defeat would prove academic with the Lightning needing both North East Blaze and Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels to lose.

They both won and the Blaze advanced to the finals with the Lightning finishing in sixth position.

The future is bright for the Lightning with their 19-and-under team qualifying for the finals in third place. They meet the Southern Saints in a cut-throat semi-final at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Wednesday at 7pm.