Netball
27 May, 2026
Bombers dominate Lakers, Tigers hold off Cougars
Noradjuha Quantong’s A grade netball side backed up their round six win over Kalkee with a resounding 73-20 win over Taylors Lake in round seven of the Horsham District Football Netball League on Saturday, May 23.
Playing at home, the Bombers very quickly got and extended the lead, entering quarter time up 13-6.
Despite some impressive offensive play early in the second quarter from the Lakers, the Bombers quickly asserted their dominance on both ends.
The mix of size and speed at both ends of the court helped the home side to a 34-13 halftime lead.
Noradjuha Quantong remained relentless all game, keeping the visitors to just seven second-half goals, and ultimately came away with a 53-goal win.
Shannon Couch led the Bombers in the goal circle with 46 goals from 54 attempts, while Ashlee Morrish had 21 from 30.
Leah Mirtschin and Rachel Leader again had strong games at goal defence and goal keeper, respectively, while Jess Leader was impactful all across the court.
For the Lakers, Tayla Eltze led the side with 16 goals, while centre Kayla Kelm and goal defence Zoe Gray were the best performers in the side’s loss.
Bombers coach Taylor Shelley was very pleased with the whole side’s performance.
“I think it was a great team effort; all eight people who took the court played their part,” she said.
“Taylors have a good little goalie who is really accurate, so we knew that we needed to make the most of the turnovers that we were able to pick off, and I think we did that really well.”
Asked about the consistent effort across the four quarters, the Bomber coach admits she is wary of the points percentage for later in the season.
“We know that the top three are probably going to be pretty tight come the end of the year,” Shelley said.
“Laharum are probably a little bit of a class above, but we know that it potentially could come down to percentage as to a final ladder finish.
“So I was really happy with how we pushed, and at three-quarter time we had the goal to get to 70 and keep them to 20, and we did both of those things.”
Shelley praised youngster Claudia McAuliffe for her A grade debut in the absence of midcourter Holly Nuske.
“Claudia made her A grade debut today, and actually came up from C grade, so she jumped B grade,” she said.
“I only have praise to speak of her; she's a great little netballer and just loves to learn.
“So I was really excited to be able to give her the opportunity today, obviously in the absence of Holly Nuske.”
In other A grade matches, Pimpinio came away with a 49-44 away win over Kaniva Leeor United.
Little separated the sides early with the score 12-12 at quarter time.
But the Tigers upped the pressure on both sides of the court in the second quarter to lead 26-21 at halftime.
The Cougars surged back in the third quarter to cut the deficit to one (35-34) at the last break.
Led by impressive shot making, Pimpinio extended their lead to six midway through the final quarter, ultimately winning by five goals.
Mikayla Dumesny and Tahlia Thompson were among the Tigers’ best, scoring 25 and 24 goals, respectively.
For the Cougars, Nikki Hawker had an outstanding game, finishing with 23 goals, Abby Croft had 21, while Lauren Brown impressed in wing defence.
At North Park, Kalkee bounced back from consecutive losses to defeat the Swifts 58-22.
The Baggies kept with the Kees early on, before an 18-4 second quarter saw the visitors take a 27-11 halftime lead, which they continued to extend in the second half.
Jarrah Martin shot a game-high 36 goals for Kalkee, while Tamika Mentha and Amelia McRae performed well in the midcourt.
Lylah Slorach led the Swifts with 12 goals, while defenders Willow Freeland and Edwina Flakemore were named the team’s best in their loss.
At Harrow, Laharum had another strong offensive game, defeating the Southern Roos 74-47.
The home side stayed within reach till halftime before a 20-9 third quarter from the Demons helped them comfortably put the game away in the second half.
Ilze Van Zyl (38 from 42) and Caitlin Jones-Story (36 from 41) were very accurate in goals, while Jaspa Robinson performed well at both goal defence and goal keeper in the absence of usual defensive partner Ema Iredell.
Megan Little and Holly Langley were again standouts for Harrow Balmoral, finishing with 26 and 20 goals, respectively.
At Natimuk, Edenhope Apsley led all the way to finish with a strong 65-31 victory over the Rams.
Sharpshooting pair Dee Dee Lambert (34 from 42) and Lavinia Fox (31 from 36) were outstanding in the goal circle, while the side’s midcourt and defenders did well to limit Natimuk’s opportunities.
Stacey Hopwood led the Rams with 22 goals, with Bethany Sudholz and Keeta Scown named the side’s best for their tireless effort defending Lambert and Fox.
