Netball
13 May, 2026
Demons overcome Bombers challenge
Laharum proved they are the team to beat in the Horsham District Football Netball League A grade competition, defeating a strong Noradjuha Quantong outfit 58-44 in round five on Saturday May 9.
Playing at Quantong Recreation Reserve, little separated the two sides early, with the Demons holding a narrow 14-12 lead at the first break.
In the second quarter Laharum’s shooting combination was able to adjust to the strong defence from Bomber goal defence Leah Mirtschin, while the Demons’ midcourt and defence were able to restrict Noradjuha Quantong’s shot quality and opportunities.
The Demons ultimately took a 31-21 lead into half-time.
The visitors continued their momentum over the court in the third quarter, extending their lead to 16 (47-31) by three-quarter-time.
The Bombers kept their intensity and got the slight upper hand in the final quarter but Laharum won comfortably by 14.
Laharum goal attack Ilze Van Zyl had a great game with 34 goals while shooter Caitlin Jones-Story had 24, the pair combining for 82 per cent accuracy on goal.
Centre Liv Jones and goal defence Ema Iredell also had a strong impact all game in the Demons' win.
For the Bombers, Mirtschin was the best on court, with solid contributions from Holly Nuske and Ashlee Morrish, who led the team with 22 goals.
Demons co-coach Brooke Taylor said she was pleased with her team’s performance, particularly with how the shooting pair of Van Zyl and Jones-Story adjusted to the intense defence from the Bombers.
“It was definitely the toughest game we’ve had so far this year,” Taylor said.
“Quanny came out strong, which we knew they would.
“The first quarter, everyone was figuring each other out, but the girls were patient with feeding the ball and working it in, and the accuracy of our goalies was fantastic.
“Leah, the Bombers’ goal defence, was really quick that first quarter and got to a lot of balls.
“But Ilze adjusted well and the feeds from our midcourt adjusted really quickly.
“The combination there with Ilze and Caitlin, they were really patient and moved really well.”
As well as a good performance in the midcourt, the Laharum coach credited the defensive tandem of Ema Iredell and Jaspa Robinson for handling numerous shooting variations from the Bombers.
“The defenders had quite a few different goalies changing throughout the game so each time it took them a little bit of time to adjust and change up their tactics,” Taylor said.
“They contested well and were able to get in good positions for rebounds as well.”
At Rupanyup, Taylors Lake just held on to beat the Panthers in a 41-40 thriller.
The Lakers led 13-9 at quarter-time and then 25-20 at half-time before extending their lead to eight midway through the third quarter.
But the Panthers reduced the three-quarter-time deficit to 33-30.
A hotly contested final quarter saw Rupanyup tie the game multiple times before a Tayla Eltze goal on the final siren secured the win for the Lakers.
Eltze led the side with 22 goals while defender Kaleisha McKerron and centre Kayla Kelm had strong games for the victors.
Phoebe Downer and A grade debutant Lara Webb shot 24 and 16 goals, respectively, for Rupanyup, while Gemma Morgan was one of the side’s best.
At Kaniva, the Cougars held off a fourth-quarter comeback from Kalkee to win 37-35.
Nothing could separate the sides in the first quarter before Kaniva Leeor entered half-time with a 20-17 lead.
A critical third quarter from the home side saw them extend their lead to 33-24 by the final break.
Impressive defence from Kalkee kept the Cougars to four goals but the visitors were unable to make up the deficit.
Abby Croft and Nikki Hawker had 21 and 15 goals, respectively, for Kaniva Leeor, with Ellen Bennett and Ruby Gordon having strong defensive performances on the other end.
Jarrah Martin and Isobelle Schorback each had 13 goals for Kalkee while Amelia McRae had a strong game in the midcourt.
At Balmoral, Natimuk United registered their third win of the season with a 42-39 victory over Harrow Balmoral.
The Rams got off to a strong start, holding a 13-9 quarter-time lead before extending it to 23-17 by half-time.
But the Southern Roos dominated the third quarter to take a 30-29 lead at the final break.
The visitors managed to find their groove again in the final quarter, regaining the lead and ultimately winning by three goals.
Stacey Hopwood had a strong performance in the circle with 24 goals, with Tahlia Dufty also having a strong game for the Rams.
Kate McDonnell was one of the Southern Roos’ best on court, leading the side with 16 goals, with Megan Little also having a fine performance.