Premiership success for Warrandyte Netball Club
It was a nervous week for many Warrandyte Netball Club (WNC) members leading up to Grand Final Saturday on November 23 with seven teams qualifying for the big day.
In addition to the usual grand final nerves, the forecast was for a sweltering 37 degrees which could have led to games being cancelled and premierships awarded to the higher placed teams without players even taking to the courts.
Lurking in the background was the memory of last season’s results, where WNC had five teams make their grand finals and only one team come away with a premiership win.
Fortunately, the fear was unfounded and WNC had a very successful day, winning four of six grand finals and losing another by just one goal.
The first game of the day was the 17/U S1 WNC Magpies who had been moved from their usual 1:00pm timeslot to 8:00am in an effort to beat the predicted heat.
The early start clearly suited the Magpies who led from the first goal and went on to win the reserve grand final 36:14 over the East Doncaster Netball Club (EDNC) Apollos with WNC’s Eva being awarded Best on Court.
The win was especially sweet for the Magpies as they had previously won the reserve premiership during the autumn season and the game took place on one of their player’s birthdays.
Next up was the 13/U S3 WNC Wallabies who went into their game not knowing what to expect from their opposition, the Panthers Satellites.
Although the Wallabies had finished top of the ladder and beaten the Satellites in their one encounter during the regular season, the Satellites were in strong form and had convincingly defeated the second placed team in their semi-final.
It was a low scoring and hard-fought game, but the Wallabies led by a single goal at three quarter time and motivated by last season’s loss in extra time, went on to win 7:5 with WNC’s Olive being awarded Best on Court.
By 11am it was already over 30 degrees and quarters were being shortened but the WNC 13/U S2 Kangaroos went into their game well prepared for the hot weather, with eskies full of ice, cold water, and a variety of spraying devices to help keep them cool.
The Kangaroos came out strongly, leading 4:1 at quarter time and extended their lead until a strong fourth quarter from the Panthers New Moons brought the final score back to 13:10 for the Kangaroos with Aisling winning Best on Court.
While the Kangaroos were playing on one court, on another the WNC Falcons took on the WNC Kestrels in the Open B grand final in a repeat of last spring’s grand final.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, the similarities to last year’s game were not just limited to the teams who were playing.
Despite the Falcons again having finished on top of the ladder, the Kestrels were again too strong in the grand final and won 21:6 with the Kestrel’s Manon being awarded Best on Court.
Some cloud cover and a slightly cool breeze meant that the midday games could take place with the final two WNC teams playing in their 15/U sections.
The 15/U S1 WNC Emus had improved impressively over the season, having not progressed beyond the semi-finals in autumn, but were massive underdogs against the EDNC Jets who had not lost a game all year.
It was a tense game with the lead seesawing back and forth and the score was tied 10:10 at three quarter time.
Both teams were desperate to win, and strong defensive pressure saw the ball turned over a number of times during the last quarter before EDNC went on to win by a single goal 13:12.
The Emus were disappointed to lose by the smallest margin but took comfort in their development during the year and were proud of getting so close to such a dominant team.
At the same time, the 15/U S3 WNC Brolgas were playing the Panthers Lunars who had easily finished on top of the ladder and beaten the Brolgas twice already during the regular season.
Although hopes were high knowing that anything can happen in a grand final, the Lunars were too strong for the Brolgas winning 17:6 with WNC’s Tahlia being named Best on Court.
That was the end of the Saturday competition for the year but there was still a grand final to come in the Tuesday night social competition and it was another WNC versus WNC game.
The WNC Bazas had finished top of the ladder, defeating the second-placed WNC Ospreys three times during the season, but the grand final told a different story with the Ospreys leading right from the start and going on to win 17:9.
While players in 13/Us and above have been focused on finals, there has been plenty happening for the younger players at our club.
The 9/Us and 11U/s played their last round on grand final day, giving them a glimpse of its drama, tension, and pressure.
Fittingly the last 9/U game was between the WNC Bilbies and the WNC Gliders allowing both teams to showcase the wonderful skills they have developed this year.
Our NetSetGoers have had an incredible year, both on and off the court, and we are proud to have been chosen as one of the four Woolworths NetSetGo Centre of the Year finalists with the winners to be announced on December 5.
Not only have our participants learnt an enormous amount this year, but they have also been lucky enough to prominently feature in both the Melbourne Vixens’ preliminary final and the recent Constellation Cup game between the Australian Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns.
Surely it must be more than coincidence that both the Vixens and Diamonds won when our NetSetGoers were involved in their games.
A huge thank you to everyone who played, volunteered, and supported Warrandyte Netball Club this year.
Enjoy the summer break and we will see you back for lots more netball next year.
Warrandyte Diary, December 2024
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