Netball
22 June, 2025
Wimmera teams advance to state finals
Wimmera Football Netball League and Horsham District Football Netball League junior representative netballers competed in the Northern Zone Association Championships on Sunday.
The day was particularly successful for the Wimmera under 15 and under 17 teams, where both advanced to the grand finals, and as a result, will go on to compete at the state association championships finals on June 29.
As well as the Wimmera under 15s and 17s finishing in the top two, the under 13s team finished fifth, and the under 15s reserves made it through to the semis.
The Horsham District teams all played competitively, with the under 13s and under 15s teams finishing sixth and the under 17s side making the semi-finals.
Vernetta Taylor, coach of the Wimmera under 17s team, was happy with the side’s performances, particularly in their efforts against eventual winners, Bendigo.
“It was quite challenging conditions because the whole tournament was played outdoors, it was wet and slippery,” Taylor said.
“So that just adds another element to contend with.
“We lost to Bendigo by six and five goals in the first tournament (Central Victorian Association Tournament), and then to come up against them this time, lose by one in the rounds and then draw in the grand final, but lose by two (in extra time), it just really shows that each time we go out there, we're getting better and better.
“We really focused on our turnover conversions - creating a turnover, protecting the ball and getting into the post, and we did that a lot better this weekend.”
Taylor is confident that the under 17s can continue their progression at the state tournament.
“The girls have put themselves in a really good spot to head off to Melbourne to contend at the Association Championship finals,” Taylor said.
“We've been able to be successful in the last two tournaments, so I'm confident we'll do well next weekend.”
Amber Mitchell, coach of the Wimmera under 15s team, was excited by the team qualifying for the association final, praising their improvement.
“I'm so pleased for the girls, they deserve to be going to Melbourne,” Mitchell said.
“They played really, really well all day.
“They certainly stepped up from the last tournament, which we knew we had to do to beat some of those teams.”
Mitchell credited the team’s patience and resilience for defeating Sunraysia in the semifinal.
“We lost to Sunraysia two weeks ago, so they were one of the teams we knew we had to do some homework on,” Mitchell said.
“We drew with them in our pool game, then we played them again in the semifinal, we were four goals down, but the team brought that back to draw at full-time.
“We played an extra time and won by four, so that turnaround from the girls, they were unbelievable.”
The Wimmera League under 15 and under 17 teams will now compete against the best teams across the state in the Association Championships in Melbourne on June 29.
This weekend, the Horsham District junior rep netball teams will compete alongside the junior under 14 and under 17 football sides in Avoca against junior reps from the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League.
