Netball
12 August, 2026
Saints juggernaut rolls on against Warriors
The participants of the WFNL A grade finals are set after a competitive round 16; however, where the sides finish could come down to the last round of the regular season.
Fresh from a bye, the undefeated Horsham Saints juggernaut continued its winning ways, defeating fifth-placed Stawell Warriors 98-42.
Playing at Coughlin Park, the hosts celebrated the 150-game milestone of multiple premiership-winning midcourt veterans Megan Byrne and Shannon Cross.
The sides traded goals initially before the hosts established control of the midcourt, with the score quickly shifting from 9-6 to 24-12 at the first break.
The Saints then controlled every phase of play, scoring 28 goals, while limiting the Warriors to just six.
Coach Vernetta Taylor said she was proud of how her side adapted after the first quarter.
“We just had to fine-tune our defence, how we were defending that circle, which had been a focus for us during the week,” she said.
“Ava Mitchell is a fantastic goaler, and we knew that we had to limit her impact, so we identified that we just needed to make a bit of a tweak in there, which we did.
“At the attacking end, we just focused on our centre pass setup and second phase.
“I think sort of both ends at the same time kind of went click, and we were away.”
Despite being ahead 52-18, the Saints did not let up in the second half with Cross and Byrne part of the midcourt that turned interceptions into goals.
“Megan and Shannon are both incredible players,” Taylor said.
“They're just team players, so they support everyone around them, and you know they are so reliable out there.
“To have that experience in both our wing positions, supporting the younger players around them, is incredible.”
At the last break, the Saints were ahead 73-29, with two statistics a talking point as the game evolved.
While the Saints raced to 100 goals, goal shooter Jorja Clode continued her run of form, shooting 67 straight goals before missing midway into the fourth quarter.
Taylor praised the young players' drive to continuously improve.
“Jorja is very methodical,” she said.
“Most people would be happy to shoot 67 without a miss, but Jorja does aim for perfection, and she's not far off it.”
Despite scoring 10 goals in the final five minutes, the ladder leaders' pursuit of 100 goals fell just short.
Nevertheless, the Saints won by 56 goals, with Clode finishing on 81 at 94 per cent accuracy.
Returning from injury, Lena Marshman added 16 goals (84%), while Olivia Taylor finished with one (100%) off the bench.
For her work against Ava Mitchell, Maddison Bethune was named best on court alongside Clode.
Mitchell did the bulk of the scoring for the Warriors with 38 goals (76%), while Madi Taylor added three (37%), and Jemma Clarkson finished with one (25%).
The win secures the minor premiership for the reigning premiers; however, second to fifth place remains up for grabs.
Dimboola maintained its hold on third place with a 48-33 victory against Minyip Murtoa.
Following their loss to Nhill in round 15, the Roos were keen to return to form; they boasted a 13-4 start as Nicole Polycarpou and Olivia Beugelaar scored freely at the Murtoa Recreation Reserve.
Two late goals to the Burras saw the sides go into the first break with the score 16-8.
Strong shooting from Jenna Schneider and Jessica Newell saw the hosts build plenty of momentum in the second quarter.
The Burras' defensive pressure across the court limited the visitors to just 11 shots in the quarter.
Despite scoring just six goals, Dimboola held the lead, 22-17 at the main break.
The Roos bounced back in the second half through Beugelaar and Giselle Clugston, scoring 14 goals, pushing the margin out to nine at the final break.
In the final quarter, both sides attacked with reckless abandon, attempting a combined 35 shots.
The visitors outscored the Burras 12-8 to extend the winning margin to 15 goals.
In a best on court performance, Beugelaar led the Roos with 28 goals (74%), ahead of Polycarpou’s 11 goals (65%) and Clugston’s nine (65%).
Schneider top scored for Minyip Murtoa with 17 goals (74), with Tamira Cullinan and Newell adding nine (53%) and seven goals (88%), respectively.
Ararat’s hopes of securing third and an all-important double chance remain in touch following a 57-45 win against Nhill.
The Rats got off to a hot start at Davis Park, with Laney McLoughlan and Michayla McRae combining for a 15-9 lead at quarter time.
The Tigers ramped up the scoring through Ruby James and Emma Uebergang, who played a one-off game due to Natimuk United’s bye.
Nevertheless, the visitors led 30-21 at the main break.
Nhill outscored Ararat in the third quarter 15-12 and went into the final break down by just six goals.
Ahead 42-36, the Rats flexed their muscles and controlled the game in the final quarter.
Winning the quarter 15-9, Ararat eventually won by 12 goals.
McLoughlan top scored with 36 goals (73%), while McRae added 21 (81%), and Jessica Taylor and coach Faith Biddle were named best on court.
James scored 34 goals (81%) for Nhill, with Uebergang finishing on 13 (52%); Olivia Dullard and Eden Woodward were named best on court.
Ten points behind Stawell with two rounds remaining, the win also eliminated the Tigers from finals contention
While Warrack Eagles are out of finals contention, they showed plenty of promise for the future with a 48-41 win against Southern Mallee Thunder.
Playing at Rainbow, it was the Eagles who looked at home with a 15-8 start.
While the hosts scored 10 goals in the second quarter, Warrack extended its lead into the main break.
The Thunder won the third quarter 13-10, but the margin remained in double digits with Warrack leading 40-31.
The hosts continued to build momentum, winning the last quarter 10-8, but the deficit was too great.
Isabella Orszulak’s 28 goals (80%) and Briodi McKenzie’s 20 goals (69%) helped the Eagles win by eight.
McKenzie and veteran Emma Koschitzke were named best on court for the visitors.
Southern Mallee Thunder’s Phoebe Bigham continued her strong form in 2026 with 34 goals (92%), while Luca Landrigan added seven (58%).
Defenders Trudi Cook and Sydney Thorogood were named in the host’s best.