Netball
20 July, 2026
Kalkee survives Pimpinio fightback, Bombers secure second
Kalkee’s A grade netball side went one step closer to banking their spot in the finals, holding off a spirited second-half performance from Pimpinio to win 48-45 in round 14 of the Horsham District Football Netball League on Saturday July 18.
Strong defence across the court gave the Kees the better of the starts, going up by as much as seven goals before taking a 12-8 lead.
The home side maintained their momentum in the second quarter, extending their lead to eight (25-17) at half-time.
However, the Tigers quickly found their rhythm early in the third quarter, forcing turnovers while shooters Mikayla Dumesny and Tahlia Thompson consistently converted in the goal circle.
After the Tigers tied the game late in the quarter, the Kees nudged ahead 34-33 at the final break.
Kalkee came out in the final quarter firing, with Jenna Bywaters and Jarrah Martin helping the side to re-extend their lead to six.
But Pimpinio managed to claw back the deficit, making it a two-goal game with less than two minutes to play before the Kees held on for the three-goal victory.
Isobelle Schorback led the Kees with 19 goals from 22 attempts, with the late-game accuracy from Bywaters (13 from 17) helping the Kees seal the game.
Goal attack Jarrah Martin and centre Millie McRae also produced crucial performances for the Kalkee victory.
Tahlia Thompson (27 from 34) and Mikayla Dumesny (18 from 23) had strong games in goal for Pimpinio, with Victoria Taylor one of the side’s best for her performance at goal defence.
Having identified third quarters as being a weak spot for the side, Kalkee coach Millie McRae said she was pleased with how the side adapted and played with confidence during the final quarter.
“We swapped back a few of our positions for the final quarter after Pimpinio made a few changes going into the third quarter that really worked for them,” McRae said.
“I’ve said previously that we've had a few bad third quarters where we’ve had to dig deep and we know we're able to come out of that.
“So the messages were positive on the bench and during the break; you don’t want to focus on the negatives.”
The Kalkee coach was happy with her team’s defensive performance, crediting their work against the accurate Pimpinio goalies.
“The defensive pressure all over the court, I think, is probably one of our strengths,” McRae said.
“Those girls have worked together for a few years so they've got that ring pressure pretty down pat.
“Pimpinio's goalies and their shooting percentage is pretty hard to defend but I think they did a great job in there.”
Among the other results, Noradjuha Quantong moved into second place on the ladder with a 58-43 victory over Natimuk United.
At Natimuk, the Bombers got out to a four-goal lead halfway through the opening quarter before the Rams cut the deficit to tie the scores 13-13 at quarter-time.
The Rams kept within a couple of goals for most of the second quarter but six straight goals helped the Bombers lead 29-23 at half-time.
The home side briefly cut the deficit to four goals but a pivotal 11-4 run to finish the quarter saw Noradjuha Quantong extend their lead to 11 (44-33) at the final break.
The Bombers maintained a healthy lead during the final quarter before coming away with a 15-goal victory.
Shannon Couch led Noradjuha Quantong with 35 goals, with fellow goalie Ashlee Morrish (14 goals) and Holly Nuske also having standout games.
Emma Uebergang was Natimuk’s best on court with 28 goals from 34 attempts, with impressive performances also from goal defence Bethany Sudholz and goal shooter Stacey Hopwood (15 from 19).
At Balmoral, the Southern Roos rebounded from last week’s loss to defeat the Swifts 51-28.
The home side established a 10-7 lead by the first break before a dominant run in the middle quarters helped Harrow Balmoral run away with the game, leading 23-13 and 38-20 at half-time and three-quarter-time, respectively.
In the absence of Megan Little, Holly Langley (26 goals) and Mia Rees (25 goals) had strong performances in the goal circle for the Southern Roos, while Brittany Burns was particularly impactful on the defensive end.
For the Swifts, Jade Ralph (17 goals) and Lylah Slorach (11 goals) performed well on the offensive end, with coach Jayde Ellis named among the side’s best.
Rupanyup forfeited their matchup against ladder leaders Laharum, handing the Demons their 12th win of the season.