Netball
14 September, 2024
18-0: Laharum crowned HDFNL A Grade netball premiers with perfect season
Demons triumph against Rupanyup 40-38 in thrilling grand final.
Laharum has capped off a memorable season with the ideal ending, defeating Rupanyup 40-38 in the 2024 HDFNL A Grade grand final.
Both sides were tested during the finale at North Park on Saturday, September 14, with rain, hail, and relentless wind throughout the game.
Powerhouse centre and captain Olivia Jones was named best on the ground.
The Demons will go down in history with the perfect 18-0 record, a feat coach Bec McIntyre said may sink once the celebrations are over.
"It's pretty rare; it just puts an extra special cream on top of the cake," she said.
"I said to the team before the game, in my 12 Grand Finals, it's only happened once before.
"It's pretty cool for us... I think it hasn't sunk in yet. It's a bit of a shock.
McIntyre said the redemptive win tasted all the sweeter, having lost the past two grand finals to Edenhope Apsley.
"This year was always about sticking together together," she said.
"We've backed each other in... we've done the growth. After we lost the last two, we worked really hard on ourselves and as a team.
"We knew that if we just kept going, that we would get it. We felt like this was our time."
Caitlin Story, the league's top goal scorer for 2024, scored 25 goals in the premiership win, while frontcourt partner Maddi Iredell scored 15.
McIntyre praised the work of Iredell, who scored five of the Demons' six goals in the fourth quarter.
"We knew that everyone will double team Cato because she's our number one [scorer]," she said.
"We talked about the fact that Maddie was going to insert herself into the game more often because she's an actually amazing goalie. When she's in there... it takes the pressure off Cato.
"I think Maddie stepped up today beautifully. She's exceptional, and we've always been fortunate to have two goalies that have that ability to do it."
The premiership coach praised her defensive partner, Ema Iredell, for being the cornerstone of the team's defence.
"She is exceptional. I actually said to her this morning, the reason I can still play at my age is because of how much she covers me," McIntyre said.
"She's worked a lot on herself over the last couple of years. I'm just really lucky to play with such a phenomenal goal defender like it.
"I'm grateful for it, and I don't take it for granted at all."
The Panthers came out firing from the first whistle and took a 5-0 lead in the first few minutes.
Laharum were able to claw back with a six-goal turnaround and took a 12-10 lead at the first break.
The Demon's five-goal half-time lead grew to 11 at the final break; however, McIntyre said she knew the Panthers would finish strong.
"Rupanyup are a quality team, and we know that they were going to be tough," she said.
"What a grand final to be able to have them come back like they did, and it just shows the closeness of the whole season.
"We knew that if we could play four quarters, we would win."
Bianca Drum finished the game with 16 goals for Rupanyup, while Zanaiya Bergen added 15.
Maddison Morgan scored seven goals, including four in the final quarter.
McIntyre said she looked forward to playing against Rupanyup again in the future.
"It takes two to five years to win a premiership, in my experience," she said.
"There's a lot to like for the future and for our league."