This week, all 13 divisions of the New Balance Netball competition are in finals mode with teams in Divisions Seven to Twelve fighting for the last spot in the Grand Final. See below for the scores of last weekend’s games as well as a look ahead to the next weekend of finals.
Premier
East Burwood Black 70 def. Coldstream Grey 64
Oakleigh District 75 def. FTG Eagles Blue 50
Croydon 75 def. East Ringwood Black 25
The Finals are set for Premier Divison, Croydon to host Oakleigh District and East Burwood and East Ringwood to continue their great rivalry in an Elimination style Semi-Final.
Croydon’s Ellarnah Hanlen finished as the leading goal shooter in the division, with 66 goals last Friday Night for the Blues. Her final tally is 412 goals from ten games. She finished ahead of Oakleigh’s Emma Ryde who had 64 goals for the night and 386 for the season. It sets up a fascinating contest between the two sides this Friday Night.
The second finals matchup sees East Ringwood and East Burwood meet, both sides finishing on a record of 8-4. The Roos who were without the likes of Emily Salmon and Becky Hine, will be hoping to regain them ahead of the Elimination Final.
Their opponents, East Burwood, enter the finals in great form, with four wins from their last five games. Gabrielle Clarke who missed last Friday’s game, has been in fantastic form this year in defence and will be vitally important in the finals.
Both sides have met in numerous finals over recent years, including the Premier Grand Final in 2022 where East Ringwood pulled off a famous upset. The Roos want to make history this year with a third consecutive flag. We’re set for a massive clash!
Division One
Boronia 44 def. Park Orchards Black 40
Coldstream Black 57 def. Nunawading Lions Maroon 17
Heathmont White 56 def. Croydon North MLOC 19
East Ringwood Blue 51 def. Mitcham Amber 36
One of the tighter divisions in the competition, Boronia finish on top after a four-goal win over Park Orchards but all sides inside the top-four will fancy themselves as a true contender to take out the premiership.
The Hawks meet Heathmont in the first week of the finals, having played against one another in back-to-back weeks in Rounds Three and Four. The two sides won one game each, setting up an intriguing contest. Rebecca Subbiah has been a clear star for Boronia throughout the mid-court, one to keep an eye on. Paige Hunter for Heathmont has taken her game to another level this year, with 317 goals for the season.
The other final between East Ringwood and Park Orchards will be just as entertaining, again their head-to-head record is 1-1. Two weeks ago when they last met, it was a shootout, 88 goals combined. Zoe Smith was important that night with 28 goals for the Sharks, a similar performance needed this weekend.
Division Two
Montrose Demons 36 def. Blackburn White 17
GWH Blue 33 def. Blackburn Black 7
Bayswater Gold 38 def. FTG Eagles 23
Vermont White 32 def. Lilydale Gold 21
Bayswater needed Vermont to slip up to pinch the fourth position on the Division Two ladder but the Eagles were too strong in their clash against Lilydale, outscoring top-place Falcons by 11 goals. The Lilydale loss also saw them drop to second at the end of the Home and Away season.
However, it doesn’t affect the side too much, still set to play Knox in the second Final.
Glen Waverley Hawks were just as strong on the weekend, shutting down Blackburn defensively, with only seven goals scored against them. They will meet Vermont in the semi-final tomorrow night, having met the Eagles just once, losing by six goals. Since then, they’ve won five of the last six games and enter tomorrow night’s contest with all the momentum.
Division Three
Heathmont Jets 32 drew with. Blackburn Red 32
The Basin Cubs 42 def. Kilsyth Cougars Black 21
Montrose Flames 30 def. East Ringwood Teal 29
Norwood 37 def. Vermont Purple 22
An early finals preview saw Montrose hold on for a one-goal victory over East Ringwood the two sides set to meet for the second week in a row. It was once again Rebecca Hincksman who stood up for the Demons, with 26 goals on the night.
Minor Premiers, The Basin, enter the Division Three finals series off the back of a five-game winning streak. Their last loss however came against Norwood who they meet tomorrow night. Just one goal separated the two sides in Round Nine in one of the games of the season.
Both finals take place at Knox Regional Netball Centre on Friday Night at 8:35 PM.
Division Four
Chirnside Park Yellow 46 def. Heathmont Yellow 38
Silvan Cats 34 def. Boronia Gold 20
Chirnside Park Topaz 28 def. East Burwood Grey 21
Oakleigh District Black 27 def. Park Orchards White 24
There hasn’t been much separating the top four sides of Division Four, meaning the race to the premiership is wide open!
Silvan had another 14-goal win on the weekend, the club winning last year’s Division Five premiership. Led by the likes of Hajder, Ough and Haynes, the Cats have been a consistently strong team throughout the regular Home and Away season. They meet Oakleigh District who just held on for a three-goal win over fellow finals side in Park Orchards.
Division Five
GWH Yellow 42 def. Kilsyth Red 30
Nunawading Gold 35 def. Lilydale Yellow 31
Vermont Violet 36 def. Park Orchards 29
Ringwood White 34 def. UFTG Red 30
One of two Ringwood sides to finish on top of a division ladder, Ringwood White locked up the Minor Premiership, having a great contest with Upper Ferntree Gully. Nicole Stagg finished with another 22 goals, having 20 goals or more in three of the last four games of the season.
Ringwood faces Nunawading in the Second Semi-Final, the winner to progress through to this year’s Grand Final. The loser will face the winner of the First Semi-Final between Park Orchards and Lilydale.
Division Six
Park Orchards Blue 49 def. The Basin Pandas 21
Balwyn Tigers 31 def. Silvan Cats White 16
Montrose Thunder 60 def. Oakleigh District Silver 20
Mitcham Gold 31 drew with. Rowville Hawks 31
The Hawks and Tigers played off in a thrilling draw on Friday Night, a great contest for Rowville to have, heading into the first week of the finals, a big clash with Balwyn to come.
Chloe North-Coombes who took out the leading goal shooter award in Division Six finished with 35 goals on the weekend in the Sharks win over The Basin. She’ll be looking to replicate that performance tomorrow night when they face the undefeated Eagles.
Vermont had the bye on the weekend but has won 12 games for the season. The last time they met Park Orchards was the side’s closest game of the season, with just two goals between them.
Division Seven
Semi-Final 1: Lilydale 42 def. Vermont Lilac 26
Semi-Final 2: Warrandyte 29 def. Waverley Blues Red 24
The tightest of all divisions made this weekend’s games hard to tip.
All four sides in the top four finished with the same amount of wins at the end of the season.
The top two played off in an entertaining contest that had both sides tied on 20 goals each at the final change. It was Warrandyte who broke away late to secure their spot in the Grand Final next week, Amy Potter finishing with 20 goals on the night.
Waverley Blues head to a Preliminary Final which will provide them with another big challenge after Lilydale were unstoppable in their Semi-Final win over Vermont. Mackenzie Lee starred with 22 goals, but also was well as assisted by Emma Zanon and Gemma Oglivy.
Division Eight
Semi-Final 1: Vermont Black 28 def. UFTG Blue 24
Semi-Final 2: East Ringwood 34 def. Whitehorse 30
Even as a One v Two contest, Friday Night provided us one of the upsets of the season when East Ringwood defeated Whitehorse by four goals. The Pioneers had defeated the Roos twice during the season comfortably, including last weekend by 13 goals. Undefeated for the year, they led by four goals at a time before East Ringwood put together a 20-goal second half.
Lisa Baker led the way with 22 goals on the night as they qualified for this year’s Grand Final.
Thanks to the double chance, the Pioneers have a chance to respond tomorrow night when they face Vermont after the Eagles held on for a four-goal win over Upper Ferntree Gully. With fewer numbers on the court, Vermont managed to pull away late with an impressive final quarter, seven goals to four.
Division Nine
Semi Final 1: Vermont Yellow 22 def. Waverley Blues Blue 21
Semi Final 2: Chirnside Park Panthers 23 def. Montrose Storm 17
Chirnside Park Panthers are through to the Division Nine Grand Final after the jumped out of the blocks in the opening term. 8 goals to 2 at Quarter Time was a lead they held onto across the rest of the game which was quite even. Anna Grigg shot another 18 goals as the side celebrated the finals victory.
In the other Semi Final, almost nothing could separate the Waverley Blues and Vermont, just one goal in it at Half Time, Three Quarter Time and full-time. The two into the game with a head-to-head record of one win each, both sides considered themselves a big chance. In the end, it was Vermont who managed to keep their season alive in a thrilling victory.
Vermont meets Montrose this Friday Night for a spot in the Grand Final.
Division Ten
Semi Final 1: Montrose Devils 37 def. Heathmont Blue 27
Semi Final 2: Coldstream def. Knox Black
Another Montrose side set for a Preliminary Final appearance, the Montrose Devils storming home to a ten-goal win over Heathmont.
Rebecca Gorfine led the way with 28 goals on the night, taking her incredible season tally to 318.
Division Eleven
Semi Final 1: South Belgrave Saints 28 def. Montrose Heat 16
Semi Final 2: Ringwood Black 22 def. South Belgrave Saints 18
They haven’t lost a game all season but Ringwood was challenged more than ever before in their four-goal Semi Final win over South Belgrave. The Saints led at every change in a very tight, defensive contest. It took an eight-goal final term from the Redbacks to open up the game and maintain their unbeaten record in 2024.
It sets up an all-South Belgrave Preliminary Final as the two sides play off for a spot in the Grand Final. South Belgrave Red had their best win of the season, comfortably taking care of Montrose in the Semi Final.
Division Twelve
Semi Final 1: Coldstream Green 31 def. South Croydon White 16
Semi Final 2: Montrose Raptors 22 def. Waverley Blues Kestrels 21
A thrilling one-goal victory saw Montrose Raptors qualify for this year’s Division Twelve Grand Final. The game had multiple lead changes with the likes of Hall and Hincksman playing a crucial role in the victory.
The Waverley Blues who had an outstanding regular season, aren’t eliminated yet, they’ve got a big Friday Night ahead, facing off against Coldstream after their 15-goal win over South Croydon.
