Netball
9 September, 2025
Fourth-quarter surge secures Saints' grand final place
Edenhope Apsley’s A grade netball side avenged their qualifying final loss to defeat Kalkee in the preliminary final on Saturday and now meet Rupanyup in the 2025 Horsham District Football Netball League grand final.
Holding a slight lead for most of the match, a 15-goal last quarter from the Saints proved the difference as they prevailed 37-30.
Edenhope Aspley raced to a 4-0 lead early in the game on the back of turnovers created by Olivia Spence and Danielle Grindlay at the defensive end but Kalkee managed to bring the scores level at 5-5.
The Saints’ slightly better shooting accuracy proved the difference early as they held an 8-5 lead at the first break.
Both sides continued to struggle offensively with the constant defensive pressure, with Lotus Martin and Emily Polack working tirelessly to limit the opportunities of Edenhope’s Dee Dee Lambert in goals.
However, the Saints still managed to enter half-time with a 16-11 lead.
The third quarter saw various momentum shifts, with four straight goals from Kalkee reducing the deficit to one (22-21) at three-quarter-time.
But Edenhope Apsley started the final quarter strongly, with Lavinia Fox and Lambert continually taking advantage of the sharp passing from their midcourt to race to a 31-23 lead.
Kalkee were able to clean up their turnovers late in the game but Edenhope Apsley continued their offensive momentum, maintaining a seven-goal buffer to close out the game.
Along with the defensive duo of Spence and Grindlay, impressive play from midcourters Mereana Crawford and Hayley Campbell was crucial in helping the Saints secure the win in the fourth.
For Kalkee, youngster Abbey Williams had a great performance at wing defence while Lotus Martin and Polack troubled Edenhope’s offence for the majority of the game.
Fox and Lambert shot 19 and 18 goals respectively for the Saints while Jarrah Martin led Kalkee with 16 goals.
Edenhope Apsley coach Fox said she was delighted with the victory and the progression to the grand final.
“I was talking to the group earlier in the year – our first goal was to make the finals and then it was to make that big grand final,” Fox said.
“I think I have lots of feelings of pride and excitement for our team but also for our club to get there.”
Entering the final quarter with a one-goal lead, the Saints' coach said the instruction to the team was to leave everything they had on the court.
“Our message to the group was that we’ve just got to find another gear,” Fox said.
“We had 15 minutes just to go leave it all out on that court so I think lifting that intensity was the biggest difference.
“I wanted to try to set us up well in the first five so we didn't have that pressure in the last five like we did when we played them two weeks ago, because when you go down to the wire it can go either way.
"I think it was nice that we came out strong, built that buffer and then got the win.”
Fox praised the defensive work of her team while also crediting Kalkee, particularly in the absence of Casey Rentsch.
“We knew Kalkee were going to come out strong," Fox said.
"They play that spatial defence really well so it took us a good three quarters to really figure out how to break through that.
“It was a defenders' game, and our defenders, Danielle and Olivia, I thought they had moments of brilliance with their rebounding ability, coming through with intercepts.
“Similar to last week when the momentum was shifting and the pressure was on, they find a way to step up in those big moments.
“But Kalkee did that to us as well and I think them having Casey out and still putting up a performance as well as that is an absolute credit to them as a team.”
