Netball
20 June, 2025
Dees prove tough opponents
In Thunder netball on Saturday, with the temperature just into the positive, the Moddies girls bravely took on a strong Demons team.
In Thunder netball on Saturday, with the temperature just into the positive, the Moddies girls bravely took on a strong Demons team.
The conditions were super tough but our kids tried their best from start to finish.
It’s great to see our persistence at training paying off with some transfer of skills into game play.
We are starting to see kids developing their court awareness and their understanding of efficient leading.
It was a tough day for our defenders – they were kept very busy.
There is a lot to learn at their age in all aspects of the game and they’re doing a fantastic job week in, week out.
Demons took the win on Saturday but these kids should all be proud of themselves for showing up and giving it their best shot.
Awards:
Mealsbox – Tamani Roberts.
Tamani reads the play exceptionally well in defensive positions. On Saturday she showed that she can cut off or deflect balls consistently. Well done, Tamani.
Thunder canteen –- Evie Simpson
Evie played most of the game in defence and also showed a growing ability to read the play well. Evie often finds herself in the right place for an intercept and she tries hard to chase loose balls. Awesome, Evie.
Under 13s
On a foggy and chilly morning the team took to the court to face the top-ranked Horsham Demons.
Despite the tough opposition, the girls showed determination from the first whistle, working hard to hold their centre passes and get in front of their players.
There were some fantastic passages of play in the attacking end, with Felicity, Ava, Sophie, Emily and Pippa Shannon combining well to move the ball and create scoring opportunities.
In defence, the team read the play superbly, getting plenty of touches and disrupting the Demons' flow.
Pippa Fisher and Mia Roberts worked brilliantly together, forming a strong defensive duo that helped prevent the Demons from running away with the game.
Elka and Amelia played crucial roles in Wing Defence, applying pressure and making it difficult for the Demons to feed the ball into their goal circle.
Although the girls were eventually mercy-ruled in the last quarter, they walked off the court proud of their effort, teamwork and persistence against a strong opponent.
Well done, girls.
Final score: Horsham demons 39 defeated SM Thunder 8
Awards: Pippa Fisher, Mia Roberts, Emily Watson
Under 15s
Heading into what we knew would be a challenging match, our focus remained firmly on ourselves: refining and consolidating the skills we’ve been developing over the past few months.
And that’s exactly what the girls delivered from the first whistle to the final siren.
Yes, we were mercied late in the fourth quarter, but it was a hard-fought effort in bitterly cold conditions and every player impressed, making their coaches extremely proud.
A special shoutout to Pippa Fisher for stepping up in her first game with the 15s.
She played with great poise and spirit, seamlessly fitting into the team.
It was our defensive trio – Addi Fisher (KMC hair voucher), Liv Moore (Bow Bakery) and Dakota Siepolt (C Petschell Towel) – who truly stood out, applying relentless pressure all game and never backing down.
Their grit and determination were a highlight on a tough day.
Well done, girls.
Keep building, keep believing.
Final score: Horsham Demons 46 defeated SM Thunder 6
Awards: Addison Fisher, Olivia Moore, Dakota Seipolt
Under 17s
From the beginning the girls knew this was going to be an extremely tough game, versing a very strong team.
However, they worked hard, putting pressure only as many of the Demons' throws as possible, the mercy rule only just coming into play halfway through the third quarter, 4-54 the Demons' way.
Best this week went to Belle Heath, who had great defence getting plenty of intercepts and always have arms over every ball she came across.
The second award went to Harper Benton-Huebner, who the coaches had given her own goal to of making strong leads to the ball and she did exactly that.
Final score: Horsham Demons 54 defeated SM Thunder 4
Awards: Belle Heath, Harper Benton-Huebner
C grade
By the time C grade took to the court it was still cold but a solid pep talk from coach Bronte and giving each of her players goals to achieve we knew we had to take on the Demons head on.
Thunder got settled first, sinking the opening goal, and we knew it was going to be game on.
Remy was up and about which lifted the spirits of the attacking end while down in defence the combination of Hailey, Kiara and Clarissa is really a force to be reckoned with.
We love watching these ladies build on their on court friendship and skills.
Thunder was with the Demons up until half-time, which is where their attackers proved to be on point with their goals.
This, however, didn’t stop the fight from Thunder and we love that.
No one girl dropped their heads; everyone kept pushing and celebrated the small wins.
There was a lot taken away from the loss but it also proved to us we can take it to last year's premiers.
Final score: Horsham Demons 47 defeated SM Thunder 25
Awards: Kiara O’Reilly, Remy George
B grade
In a tough match the Thunder were defeated by the Horsham Demons with a final score of 43-70.
The Demons really took control in the last half, widening the gap.
Despite the loss, Thunder's captain, Shelby, had a standout performance, showing her versatility by playing shooting, defence and even taking a turn at centre.
Pheobe and Macey were solid in the goal ring, with very few misses.
The mid-court players did a great job of feeding the ball into the goal ring and made some crucial defensive plays, picking off several intercepts.
The defence also stood out, effectively reading the play, securing rebounds and making important intercepts.
Final score: Horsham Demons 70 defeated SM Thunder 43
Awards: Shelby Donnan, Phoebe Bigham
A grade
What a game at the weekend for the Southern Mallee Thunder A grade, having it out against the Horsham Demons.
The game started off competitively, continuing for the entirety of the four quarters with the Demons holding a four-goal lead over the Thunder after just the first quarter.
By half-time the Demons had gained a bit of a run on from the girls, with the score sitting at 19 to 30 the Demons' way.
The Thunder A grade girls had to fight hard, preserve and work well together to gain back the score, with strong defensive pressure all over the court.
With swift passages of play, intercepts and goals, whether it was straight from the centre circle or brought down from a turnover, the girls remained level-headed.
They pushed through the four quarters strongly, making rolling sub changes along the way to enhance their performance against the Demons.
The game finished up reasonably closely with the battle right until the end resulting in the final score at 44 to 60 the Demons' way.
Thunder's Emma Mill, back in and around the game and shooting goals like there was no tomorrow, really showed when she received the CropSmart best-on-court award for the day, closely followed by Sydney Thorogood receiving the Sassi Hair and Beauty award.
Final score: Horsham Demons 60 defeated SM Thunder 44
Awards: Emma Mill, Sydney Thorogood
