Finals are in full swing in the New Balance Netball competition with the first seven divisions having Semi Final weekend, while six more teams in the other divisions booked their spots in tomorrow night’s Grand Finals.
Premier
East Ringwood Black 66 def. East Burwood Black 53
Oakleigh District 61 def. Croydon 52
One half of the Premier Division Grand Final is set with Oakleigh District’s nine-goal win in the Semi-Final. It was led by Emma Ryde in Goal Shooter, finishing with 55 of their 61 goals on the night. They’ve been the only side to defeat Croydon during the 2024 season.
The Blues will now meet East Ringwood in the Premier Preliminary Final.
The two grand finalists of last year, it’s set to be another enthralling contest with the Blues entering the game as favourites. The Roos were challenged in their Semi-Final win over East Burwood on Friday Night, trailing at the Half Time break by six goals. Once again, they were boosted by the duo of Emily Salmon and Molly Heymanson who combined for 59 goals.
The Rams missed key defender Gabrielle Clarke on the night but with Ella Tweedale’s 29 goals down the other end of the court, East Burwood had an early handy lead. The Roos dominated in the second half, scoring 40 to 21 goals, booking their spot in the Preliminary Final.
They’ll need yet another big performance tomorrow night to defeat a Croydon side that has been outstanding all year. Set to be a big one!
Division One
East Ringwood Blue 44 def. Park Orchards Black 41
Heathmont White 34 def. Boronia Hawks 33
Two very tight contests in the Division One finals series.
Heathmont are through to a Grand Final after a thrilling one-point win over the Hawks. Neither side had a lead bigger than two points at any of the breaks. Paige Hunter finished with 28 goals in a spirited performance for the Jets. Over her last four games, Hunter has scored 132 goals for Heathmont.
It’s not over for Boronia, they meet East Ringwood this Friday Night after they held on for a three-goal win over the Sharks. Going into the Semi with a record of 1-1 against the Sharks, it was always set to be a close one.
The main difference between the two sides was East Ringwood’s first quarter which gave them a handy lead that they managed to keep for the rest of the night.
Division Two
GWH Blue 28 def. Vermont White 27
Knox Falcons 29 def. Lilydale Gold 27
Another very tight first week of the finals in Division Two saw both games separated by two goals or less.
Knox and Lilydale played off in a draw just two weeks ago and they followed up that contest with yet another thriller, the Falcons turning around a four-goal Half Time deficit to win by two.
In the other Semi-Final, it was just as tight, Glen Waverley Hawks through to a Preliminary Final after their one-goal win over Vermont. Grace Hartman was gallant in the Eagles defeat, top-scoring with 25 goals. As for the Hawks, Kate Brooks finished with 19 goals, facing a massive challenge next week against Lilydale, a side they last lost to by 19 points.
Division Three
East Ringwood Teal 41 def. Montrose Flames 30
The Basin Cubs 36 def. Norwood 26
Yet another Semi-Final win for East Ringwood, their Teal side was in control all night against the Montrose Flames, winning by 11 goals.
Rebecca Hincksman scored all 30 of Montrose’s goals, 341 for the entire year. The goals were more spread out on East Ringwood’s side with George and Marsden combining for their 41, the Roos midcourt players delivering the ball superbly to their goalers.
The Basin’s great year continued on the weekend, ten-point winners over Norwood, 36 to 26. It’s the Bears’ sixth win in a row and a great achievement to have one of their top sides advancing straight through to a Grand Final.
Division Four
Park Orchards White 29 def. Chirnside Park Topaz 24
Oakleigh District 23 def. Silvan 20
They’ve been the two best sides in Division Four all season and they played out a fantastic Semi-Final with Oakleigh District holding on by three goals to defeat the Cats. It’s the second Oakleigh District Grand Final locked in this season. The Cats who won the Division Five Grand Final last year have also had a great season, despite Friday Night’s loss. They’ll play Park Orchards tomorrow who are coming from fourth, after their win over Chirnside Park.
Division Five
Lilydale Yellow 26 def. Park Orchards Red 20
Nunawading Gold 37 def. Ringwood White 35
A high-scoring shootout between the Redbacks and Lions kept fans entertained as Nunawading held on by two points. Leading by seven goals at Half Time, Ringwood slowly began to reel in that margin but it wasn’t enough for the Minor Premiers to overturn. Nunawading’s Melanie Van Zuyden starred with 21 goals on the evening.
Nunawading has been the only side to defeat Ringwood this year, two times in the Home and Away season, and now the semi-final.
Ringwood will face Lilydale who took care of Park Orchards in the other Semi Final. The Falcons were competitive against the Redbacks the last time they met but still fell eight points short.
Division Six
Balwyn 37 def. Rowville 27
Park Orchards Blue 36 def. Vermont 21
The perfect season came to a road bump on Friday Night for Vermont Lavendar, their 12-0 regular season meaning nothing in the semi-final, going down to Park Orchards by 15 goals. The Sharks finished the season in red-hot form, scoring 40 plus in three of their last four games. Chloe North-Coombes added another 24 goals to her tally, and 12 more from Abbey Fletcher had the Sharks celebrating their way through to a Grand Final.
Vermont meets Balwyn in the Preliminary Final at Knox Regional Centre.
27 goals for Rebecca Eddy on the weekend helped lead Balwyn to an impressive second-half performance against Rowville. The two sides were tied at the first two changes before Balwyn’s dominant 11 goals to 4 third term.
Division Seven
Lilydale Blue 42 def. Waverley Blues Red 28
In the tightest of all 13 divisions, we have our Grand Final match-up, Warrandyte taking on Lilydale.
Lilydale are entering this year’s division seven decider in great form, winning both of their finals against Vermont and the Waverley Blues. The Preliminary Final against the Waverley Blues was made even more impressive considering they gave up a five-goal lead at the first break. Over the next three quarters, they scored 26 goals to 17. Mackenzie Lee was hard to stop, top-scoring with 26 goals on the night.
Division Eight
Whitehorse 28 def. Vermont Black 14
The Pioneers bounced back from their surprise loss to East Ringwood in the Semi Final, defeating Vermont by 14 goals in the Preliminary Final. Bronte Bilston-Gourley leading the way with 18 goals.
Division Nine
Vermont Yellow 22 def. Montrose Storm 21
Heartbreak for Montrose Storm as they miss out on a Grand Final appearance, losing to Vermont by one goal. Lily Bunning finished with 20 of Vermont’s 22 goals to lead the Eagles to their second-consecutive finals win. The side had to come from behind at the final break to book their spot in tomorrow night’s Grand Final.
Division Ten
Montrose Devils 31 def. Knox Black 22
Montrose Devils are through to their second Grand Final of the week, defeating Knox by 9 goals in the Preliminary Final. An ever first three quarters on the court finished in a blowout last quarter, 11 goals to 2 to secure another Grand Final spot for the Demons.
Division Eleven
South Belgrave Saints 27 def. South Belgrave Red 18
The two South Belgrave sides faced off in the Preliminary Final spot, with the winner locked in to meet Ringwood who were undefeated at the end of the season.
South Belgrave Saints were slow out of the blocks but took control in the third term with eight goals to three. Georgia Grimmer and Ashlea Foster were strong in front of the ring, continuing their great form this season.
Division Twelve
Coldstream 21 def. Waverley Blues 16
The Division Twelve Grand Final between Coldstream and Montrose is locked in after Coldstream won their second consecutive final in a row. Shannon Maile and Samantha Chetcuti combined for 21 goals on the night.
