A Reserve – Mallee Eagles v Balranald (Court 1, 1.20pm)
HAVING just missed out on claiming the silverware last year, the Mallee Eagles will be keen to finally salute against Balranald in tomorrow’s A Reserve Grand Final.
The Eagles have had a stellar undefeated season and won straight through to the grand final, while it has been a different story for the Roos, who have done it the hard way, having only just scraped into the top five in the last round.
“Our season has had its ups and downs, but overall I think the girls have held their heads high and are now receiving the rewards from it,” Balranald A Reserve coach Taylin Barry told The Guardian.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more from the girls over the last few weeks – they have played some amazing netball.”
While the Eagles haven’t dropped the ball yet this season, A Reserve coach Meg Allen said that doesn’t guarantee them success tomorrow.
“From watching a couple of Balranald’s last finals, they are a really fast team, so we will have to sort of try and match their speed I think in that regard,” she said.
“We have only played them once, and that was back in June, so I think for both teams it is pretty hard to know how we are going to go against each other.”
Down in the Eagles attack end, joint league Best and Fairest Julia Amezdroz will play a key role in her team’s ring. She will likely go head-to-head against Roos goal defender Grace Morton, who has been a solid performer for her side.
B Grade – Woorinen v Koondrook-Barham (Court 2, 11.50am)
IT is set to be a tough, physical contest in the B Grade Grand Final as Woorinen goes head-to-head against Koondrook-Barham tomorrow.
Woorinen B Grade coach Toni Bolton said her team were hopeful to cap off a successful season.
“We have only lost one game, and we felt that was actually really beneficial in terms of the preparation going into finals,” she said.
“So we’re feeling pretty confident that we should be able to put out a good performance on Saturday.”
The Tigers and the Raiders have met each other twice this season. When they played each other in round 5, the Tigers took home a massive 30-goal win. However, it was a completely different story come round 16, when Woorinen went down by two goals in the last quarter after leading for most of the match.
“We’re definitely expecting a physical game, a very body-on-body style of game,” Bolton said.
“So I think really it’s about who can run out the four quarters carrying the pressure the best.”
For the River Raiders, Rebecca Hollingworth will play a key role in their defence end, while Shanae Haw will also be pivotal in the GS bib.
The Tigers’ line-up boasts joint Best and Fairest runners-up Skye Kelly and Melissa Rushton. Returning from a calf-injury earlier in the season, Kelly provides a lot of depth to Woorinen’s defence end, while Rushton has been a focal point for her team at the other end of the court.
“I think we’ve got sort of key players in each area, and I think that puts us in a good place for delivery right down the court,” Bolton said.
B Reserve – Koondrook-Barham v Kerang (Court 2, 1.20pm)
ANTICIPATION is building for Koondrook-Barham and Kerang’s B Reserve sides as they are set to go head-to-head in the grand final tomorrow.
The River Raiders have had a great 2023 so far, finishing the home-and-season on top of the ladder with just one loss all year.
The Blues, however, finished in fifth place, having to work extra hard during finals to ensure they made it to grand final day, including slogging it out in the heat last weekend to beat Swan Hill by one goal.
Kerang’s B Reserve playing coach Zenda Peacock, supported by team manager Kirstyn Waddington and assistant coach Lily Wise, admitted she was feeling anxious heading into the clash.
“We started the season OK, but then lost a couple of player through injury,” Peacock said.
“Luckily we gained some great players towards the end of the season, which certainly helped us get to where we are now.”
When the two sides last played each other in round 8, the River Raiders won by just four goals.
“Koondrook-Barham will be tough – we will have to be at our best,” Peacock said.
Koondrook-Barham’s shooting duo in Jordyn Donovan and Paige Mooring will be instrumental in their team’s game plan on Saturday. However, they will be put through their paces by Blues defenders Bianca Wise and Kiama Birrer.
Under 18s – Cohuna v Tyntynder (Court 1, 10.20am)
AFTER going down in last year’s grand final, Tyntynder are hoping to finally claim the top prize against Cohuna tomorrow morning.
The last time the two sides met was in the semi-finals, with the Kangas narrowly winning by three goals and earning themselves the first grand final position. This forced the Dogs into last weekend’s preliminary final, where they won by two goals to cement their position.
“We’ve had close matches during the finals, so the girls are well-prepared, and know they can dig deep when the game is on the line,” Tyntynder coach Emma Smith told The Guardian.
Cohuna coach Keely Wilson, who took over the role from Catrina Robertson this season, said she felt privileged to be in this position.
“As the day is approaching the more the nerves are setting in, but at the same time so is the excitement, as the girls as worked so hard to make it to the grand final,” she said.
“Tyntynder will want to redeem themselves from last year’s grand final loss, which has seen them have a fantastic preseason and season overall, being an extremely slick side across the whole court.
“Every ball will be pressured and contested no doubt, but we are up for the challenge.”
A lot of eyes will focused on Cohuna’s attack end, with captain Sammi Moon and shooter Ebony Black going head to head against Tyntynder’s “twin towers in defence” Rose Crowe and Audrey Domaille.
“I think we play best when we play with freedom and just go for it -we know we can do it, so we will be giving it everything,’ Smith said.
Under 16s – Woorinen v Kerang (Court 1, 8.50am)
WOORINEN will go head-to-head against Kerang tomorrow to determine the best Under 16 team this season.
The Blues are in reigning age group champions, taking home the premiership over Tooleybuc-Manangatang in 2022. They had another good season again this year, finishing in second place on the ladder.
However, the Tigers have also had a great year, finishing the home-and-away season undefeated and going straight into the grand final after a semi-final win.
Fairly even matched across the court, it is anyone’s game to win.
Under 14s – Tyntynder v Lake Boga (Court 2, 10.20am)
LAKE Boga and Tyntynder’s youngest netballers will take to the court in what should be a close, competitive match.
The only thing separating the Magpies and the Bulldogs on the ladder was percentage, finishing in second and third place respectively.
The last time they came up against each other was in the qualifying final, with Tyntynder taking out the win by seven goals.
