TYNTYNDER v WOORINEN
TYNTYNDER will play finals for the first time since 2019 after defeating Woorinen by nine goals at the Alan Garden Reserve on Saturday.
The 51-42 win was set up by a dominant second quarter for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers 14-9 for the term to give them a seven-goal lead at the main break.
From there the home side never looked back, with their coach Kelsey Rowe delighted to see her team finish their home-and-away season on a high and break their finals drought.
“I was super pleased with the result – it was a great team effort on a hot day from our girls,” Rowe said.
“Our rotations from the bench really helped us out in terms of fresh legs.
“There’s nothing like leaving it to the very last round, is there?”
Rowe was dominant in the ring and led her team to victory with 29 goals for the afternoon, while Willow Conlan (30 goals) and Chloe Militto were the better players for the Tigers.
“It was a great game to watch and all our young talent was on display,” Woorinen coach Tayla Bennett said post-match.
“It’s not the way we would have liked to end the season, but the future is bright with the talent in this younger generation.
“We wish everyone all the best for the finals and look forward to building Tigerland for a better 2025.”
Final Whistle
Tyntynder 51
Woorinen 42
COHUNA v NNW UNITED
COHUNA’S A grade finals drought will continue for another season after the Kangas succumbed to Nyah-Nyah West United in a heart-breaking final-round defeat that saw them bundled from the finals.
Having sat inside the top five since round 2, the five-goal loss, combined with Tyntynder’s defeat of Woorinen, saw the Kangas fall from contention, with Cohuna coach Georgia Anderson devastated her side will not see finals action after such a strong season.
“It just hasn’t been smooth for us – we haven’t been able to really connect in our game play for the past few weeks,” Anderson said after the match.
“At the same time we’ve come a long way as a club and we are very proud of our progress and upon reflection we have really achieved a lot this year.
“They (NNW United) came to win.
“They did really well and seemed like a different team to last time and they should be very happy with their game.
“Our defence end was very consistent and across the court we were quite strong defensively.”
Taylor Hird and Carly Geary were named as the Kangas’ better players, while Sarah Gaskin, Taylen Blachford and Lucy Millard were among the best for the Demons, with NNW United coach Madi Jones full of praise for her team’s ability to finish off their season in the 50-45 win.
“It was a really great way to end the season for the girls,” Jones said.
“We were able to string together four solid quarters of netball, which is something we have been aiming towards all year, so it was very nice to end on a high for all the girls.”
Final Whistle
Cohuna 45
Nyah-Nyah West United 50
KERANG v SWAN HILL
A ZOE Morris-less Swan Hill continued their winning form ahead of this Saturday’s qualifying final with Balranald after registering a hard-fought four-goal win over a determined Kerang at the weekend.
After trailing by two goals at quarter-time, the reigning premiers blew the game open in the second term with a 12-goal-to-five period allowing them to turn with a five-goal lead at half-time.
From there, the Swans were able to hold their advantage despite the Blues’ best efforts to claim a 34-30 victory.
Although Morris is expected to return for Saturday’s must-win match against the Roos, the Swans were able to cover her absence through a reshuffle of their attacking end, with Casey Frame moving to goal shooter and scoring 20 goals and Ava Seymour contributing 14 at GA.
“We were happy to finish off the season with the win,” Swan Hill co-coach Madeleine Nalder said.
“It was tight right throughout the game and Kerang got away to a good start, which had us on the back foot, but it was great to see the girls peg back their lead, but credit to Kerang – they are a great side.
“Casey (Frame) led the attack end really well and Hayley Neuschafer was really solid for us at wing defence also.”
Final Whistle
Kerang 30
Swan Hill 34
BALRANALD v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
BALRANALD will face Swan Hill in this Saturday’s qualifying final at Lake Boga after defeating a much-improved Tooleybuc-Manangatang by 20 goals at Greenham Park on Saturday.
The Roos leapfrogged the Mallee Eagles into the top three after their loss to Lake Boga to book a date with the reigning premiers in the opening week of this year’s finals series.
A dominant second half, where Balranald outscored the Saints 32 goals to 16, was the catalyst for the home side’s 51-31 win, with Ella Mirtschin (28 goals) continuing her good form, along with defenders Grace Morton and Elli-Jane Pollard, whose defensive pressure saw Balranald create many turnovers.
Laura Grant and Olivia Fowler were among the better players for the Saints, who showed significant signs of improvement over the last month of the season.
Final Whistle
Balranald 51
Tooleybuc-Manangatang 31
