Netball
25 May, 2026
Horsham too strong for Eagles, Ararat climbs into top five
The WFNL A grade ladder has a new top five after strong performances in round six.
In the battle between second and fourth, Horsham defeated Warrack Eagles 58-41.
A strong City Oval crowd watched the Demons get off to a quick 7-2 lead thanks to a hot start from Imogen Worthy and Georgie Carberry.
The hosts held the five-goal lead for most of the first quarter and led 13-8 at the first break.
Horsham continued to extend its lead throughout the second quarter and led by nine after five minutes.
The Eagles continued to push forward and saw many entries to the circle but could not convert opportunities into goals.
The hosts led by as many as 14 goals late in the first half, but Lauren Clyne and Briodi McKenzie helped Warrack claw back the deficit.
By the main break, Horsham had outscored Warrack 20-13 to lead by 12, 33-21.
The sides continued to battle for the upper hand in the second half, with Worthy and Eagles defender Isabella Orszulak contesting every play like the game was a final.
At the other end, Ginger Short and McKenzie fought for front position until the final whistle.
The Demons continued to enjoy runs of goals, pushing the lead out to 17 goals before Clyne and McKenzie fought back.
Following an 11-9 quarter, the Demons were ahead 44-28 at the final break.
The sides traded goals in the final quarter, with the hosts taking a slight 14-13 lead and eventually winning by 17 goals.
Worthy top-scored with 38 goals while Carberry added 19.
Lauren Clyne performed well for the Eagles in her 23-goal effort while Briodi McKenzie and Nicola Clyne finished with 15 and three goals, respectively.
Despite the win, the Demons remain at second place, behind defending premiers Horsham Saints on percentage.
Meanwhile, Ararat jumped to fourth place on the ladder following a 58-28 victory against Southern Mallee Thunder.
Playing at Beulah, the Rats looked like the home side, holding a 20-4 lead at the first break.
The Thunder doubled its scoring output in the second quarter with nine goals but went into the half-time break behind 35-13.
Ararat continued its domination in the second half, limiting the hosts to just four goals in the third quarter while adding 10 goals to its tally.
With a 28-goal margin at the final break, both sides made wholesale changes, each moving a starting midcourter into goal defence.
The Thunder enjoyed their best-scoring quarter of the game with 11 in the fourth, while Ararat added 13.
At the final whistle, the Rats won by 30 goals, with Laney McLoughlan top-scoring with 33 goals.
Maggie Astbury added 25 in a best-on-court performance from goal attack alongside starting GD Demi Bligh.
Phoebe Bigham showed perseverance with 23 goals for SMT, while Kierra Schumann added four.
Midcourters Taya Horman and Lilly Puckle were named in the Thunder’s best on court.
Stawell jumped into fifth place with a 54-45 win against Minyip Murtoa.
Playing at Murtoa Recreation Reserve, Tamira Cullinan took the honour of being the first A grade netballer to score on the recently opened courts.
However, Warriors’ Madi Taylor and Ayva Mitchell made themselves at home as the visitors took a four-goal lead after 10 minutes of play.
The deficit remained at four as Stawell held a narrow 15-11 lead at the first break.
The Burras levelled the scores in the second quarter at 17-17 as Jenna Schneider enjoyed a hot streak in front of goal.
Taylor switched into wing attack late in the quarter and helped the Warriors to fight back.
At the main break, Stawell held a narrow 25-23 lead; the visitors never relinquished this throughout the second half.
The third quarter saw Mitchell take command of the game, scoring 13 goals from 16 attempts.
Her accuracy helped Stawell outscore Minyip Murtoa 16-9 in the premiership quarter and take a nine-goal lead into the final break.
Both sides scored 13 goals in the final quarter, with the Burras slightly more accurate than Stawell, 76 per cent to 65 per cent.
Nevertheless, the Warriors had done enough to claim their second win of the season, pushing the Warrack Eagles out of the top five.
Ayva Mitchell top-scored for the round with 41 goals, while Madi Taylor (nine), Jemma Clarkson (three) and Rachel Driscoll (one) were effective in supporting roles.
Taylor was named best on court alongside Lisa Considine, who switched from goal keeper to WA and WD later in the game.
Tamira Cullinan and Schneider shared the goals for the Burras with 23 and 22, respectively.
Goal defence Johanna Griffiths and Schneider were named in the hosts' best.
Dimboola held onto third place on the ladder with a strong away win against Nhill.
The Roos came out firing at Davis Park with a 21-9 opening quarter.
A 13-10 second quarter helped the visitors extend the lead by the main break to 15 goals.
Dimboola maintained its goal-a-minute scoring rate with 16 goals in the third quarter to hold a 45-29 lead at the final break.
The Tigers fought back in the final quarter, outscoring the Roos 14-6; however, the margin was too great for them to overcome.