Netball
1 September, 2025
Demons surge late to defeat Roos in six-goal classic
Horsham have won a hard-fought battle against Dimboola in the WFNL A grade qualifying final, winning 48-42.
Playing at the Dimboola Recreation Reserve, where the Roos defeated the Demons in round 14, Horsham played with intensity befitting of a team that won the premiership in 2024.
The Demons got off to a hot start, grabbing a 7-2 lead in the opening five minutes, before the home side clawed back with surprise starter Eloise Wills shooting six goals from seven attempts.
Wills and front-court teammate Nicole Polycarpou missed only two shots in the first quarter, which helped Dimboola take an 11-13 lead at the first break.
After the game Horsham co-coaches Ebonie Salter and Georgie Carberry said they weren't surprised the Roos were in the lead after the first quarter.
"They played really well last time we played them and we knew that they were going to come out firing again today," Salter said.
"We've just got trust in our team and no matter what comes, we know that we can bring it.
"We're very lucky that we've got a lot of experience in finals.
"It really is different [from the regular season] so we're gonna utilise that experience."
Carberry said the message was clear at the first break: keep calm.
"I think we got really excited," she said.
"We're a group of girls who love just playing netball.
"Once we get a little bit of a run on we get really excited and we just want to go for it.
"We're quite quick but I think in reality we needed to keep cool.
"[At this level] as soon as you throw the ball away, it's a goal at the other end."
As the sides adjusted to the game's pace, the margin remained within three goals.
Throughout the second quarter, one side would establish a lead only to have the other fight back and even the score.
At the main break Horsham held a one-goal margin, leading 25-24.
The Roos swapped out Wills for veteran goalshooter Olivia Beugelaar, whose seven goals in the third quarter helped the hosts hold a 33-35 lead at the final break.
"They have a lot of tools they can use," Salter said.
"We knew they were probably going to start with a different lineup… I would say they have four solid goalies in any combination they could rely on.
"We were prepared for something like that to happen."
However, Horsham's experience began to show as they scored five goals in a row to retake the lead within the first two minutes of the final quarter.
Salter said the key to navigating finals successfully was to focus on their game plan rather than be preoccupied with what their opponents were doing.
"If we focus on us it doesn't really matter what they're doing," she said.
"We pulled ourselves out of that bit of a rut."
Overall, the Demons missed only two shots as they added 15 goals, while Dimboola only added seven from their 11 attempts.
At the final whistle the Demons won by six goals, with Georgia Batson finishing with 30 goals while Imogen Worthy added 18.
Polycarpou led Dimboola with 22 goals and Beugelaar finished with 14. Billie Barber and Rianna Kuhne were named best on court for the Roos.
Salter and Worthy were named best on court for the Demons; Carberry also praised the hard work of Romi Miller, who came off the bench to match up against Beugelaar.
"Romi is a powerhouse," she said.
"She's got nice reach and can't be taken lightly."
"She's just a real team player," Salter added.
"She put her whole body on the line for her teammates and she's just so passionate."
Carberry also praised the phenomenal work of Batson, especially late in the game.
"When we really needed someone to step up and lift us, she did it," she said.
"It's so empowering – it lifted us all that last quarter."
