Netball
7 September, 2024
Overtime thriller: extra time needed in HDFNL A Grade netball prelim final
A shootout in Natimuk saw almost 100 goals scored in HDFNL final.
Sixty minutes of netball could not separate Noradjuha-Quantong and Rupanyup in the Horsham District Football Netball League's A Grade preliminary final in Natimuk on Saturday, September 7, 2024.
Ten minutes of extra time was all that the Panthers required to book a spot in the grand final.
As the final whistle blew, sections of the crowd erupted, knowing they would see the club in the grand final for the first time in almost 40 years.
"[The crowd] really drove us," coach Jedda Heard said.
"I think that having that noise and having that group behind us really pushed us forward helped.
"Sometimes it is not a very good thing because you can get a little bit excited, but we held our heads really well and used that crowd to our advantage.
Facing a formidable opponent, Rupanyup needed everything to go their way on the day.
While the Panthers had beaten the Bombers earlier in the season, the Noradjuha-Quantong returned the favour in round 17.
Heard said that loss motivated the side coming into the final.
"We really focused on bringing the ball down the court, because I think we have been getting stuck in that a bit during the during the year," she said.
"We did a lot of focus on our defensive work and bringing the defenders bringing the ball down the court."
"We also we focused on putting a lot of pressure down the court - all the way down - rather than just waiting until the last third to really apply that pressure."
Despite the extra attention to defence, Noradjuha-Quantong applied pressure on Rupanyup, establishing a four-goal lead on the first break.
This lead grew to eight before the Panthers were able to score the last four goals before halftime.
With Shannon Couch doing the bulk of the Bombers' scoring, Heard said the side needed to make adjustments or risk being eliminated at the preliminary final for the second year in a row.
"We're really focused on that second pass," she said.
"They tended to put that just get that ball in with their goal attack, and then she was just looking straight for that next pass.
"I think we were really onto that in the second half... a lot of our intercepts came off of that."
Rupanyup drew level with Noradjuha-Quantong less than four minutes into the second half.
A 12-7 third quarter saw the Panthers take the lead into the final break.
The quality of the two sides shone brightly in the fourth quarter, with both sides desperately defending each entry pass into the circle and rebounding with vigour.
Crouch gave her side the lead with only 30 seconds remaining; however, with the ensuring centre pass, Rupanyup got the ball into the hands of Zanaiya Bergen, who calmly scored in the final seconds of regular time.
"I just told the girls to keep going," Heard said.
"Don't drop. Get that pressure up and keep playing the way we're playing. It was going to fall in eventually.
"If we held our heads and did what we needed to do, it was going to fall into place at some point."
Rupanyup played like the side with momentum and outscored Noradjuha-Quantong 11-4 in overtime.
Bergen finished with 41 goals, while Couch scored with 34.
Anna Sudholz and Lucy Bussenschutt were named best on court for the Panthers, while Brooke Pay and Jayne Tucker were given the honour for Noradjuha-Quantong.
Heard said the opportunity to win Rupanyup's first A Grade premiership is all the motivation the side needs when it takes on Laharum in the grand final on September 14.
"It's big. It's really big. We came close last year," she said.
"It's really good for the club, and we're really excited."
Mixed fortunes for Kalkee in minor grades
Kalkee's B Grade side booked its spot in the grand final with a convincing 42-34 victory against the Swifts.
The delayed start time did not hurt the Kees; the side grabbed a 10-6 lead against the Baggies before going into the first break ahead 11-8.
Kalkee held the lead for more than 37 minutes; it outscored the Swifts 11-8 to take a six goal lead at the main break.
It was more of the same in the second half as Kalkee added 20 goals to the Swifts 18 to win by eight goals.
Katie Ruwoldt and Abbey Williams were named best on court for Kalkee.
Lisa Fulton scored 15, while Paula Wiedermann and Melissa Beddison added 14 and 13, respectively.
Emily Gay scored 16 for the Baggies, while Amy Kenny added 13.
Unfortunately, Kalkee could not repeat the success in the C grade, going down to Natimuk United 42-34.
Despite being the higher qualifier, the Kees were in front for less than a minute, as the Rams scored at almost 80% accuracy.
Courtney Cameron scored 22 goals for Natimuk United, while teammate Courtney Mason added 20.
Emma Bigham scored 29 for the Kees.
In the final game of the day, Noradjuha Quantong's C Reserve side defeated Laharum 35-19.
Emma Criddle and Chloe Lehmann were named best on court for the Bombers, while Tarah Bond and Sarah Matthews were in the best for the Demons.
Junior action kicks off preliminary finals
Laharum faces Kalkee in the grand final after defeating Rupanyup 25-15.
It was a tight affair in the first half, with only one goal separating the sides.
The Demons seized control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 10-2.
Rupanyup fought back with a 4-2 last-quarter effort but ultimately fell short.
Chloe Butsch scored 15 goals for Laharum, while her teammate Eden Dunn scored 10.
Captain Sophie Trotter scored 11 for Rupanyup.
In the under 15s preliminary final, Laharum and Kalkee traded blows through the preliminary final, with neither side able to establish a firm grip on the game.
The Demons led at the first break, only for the Kees to come back and take the lead at halftime.
Laharum established a four-goal lead after the main break, scoring the first five goals of the quarter; however, Kalkee showed its class, cutting the goal deficit down to one at the final break.
With a spot on the grand final in the line, the intensity increased; each goal was met with applause from the crowd.
Scores were level with five minutes remaining before Kalkee shot four of the following six goals to seal the win.
Maggie Fisher finished with 20 goals for Kalkee, while Maya Przibilla scored 12 for the Demons.
The Kees will play Rupanyup, which is a replay for the semi-final.
It took until the final quarter to separate Harrow-Balmoral and Pimpinio in the under-17s final.
Both sides got off to a hot start, hitting a combined 13 from 15 shots.
As the game wore on, the defensive pressure increased, and scoring opportunities were more challenging, yet the Tigers held a one-goal lead into the main break.
Pimpinio got a small break in the second half, scoring four of the last five goals of the third quarter.
Facing elimination, Harrow-Balmoral upped the ante and put Pimpinio on the back foot.
The Southern Roos drew even with less than five minutes left to play; however, like the quarter before, the Tigers finished strongly, scoring five of the last seven goals to win 30-27.
Ellie Slorach scored 16 goals for Pimpinio, while fellow attacker Ada Binney added 14.
Mia Rees and Tara McIntyre scored 14 and 13, respectively, for Harrow-Balmoral.
Pimpinio plays Kalkee in the grand final.