Netball
29 May, 2026
Rebounding Kees eye fourth win
After a 3-3 start to the year, Kalkee have a chance to move into the top five as they host Harrow Balmoral in round eight of the Horsham District Football Netball League this Saturday, May 30.
The Kees bounced back from consecutive losses to handily defeat the Swifts 58-22 in round seven.
While the Southern Roos have just one win to their name, they have demonstrated they are an improved team from last year, and even scored 47 goals against Laharum, the most any team has scored against the ladder leaders in 2026.
Kalkee coach Millie McRae admits her side won’t take Harrow Balmoral lightly this Saturday.
“We definitely never go into a game expecting it to be easy,” she said.
“I think the results across the competition so far have shown that every side is capable of being really competitive on their day, so we know we’ll need to be switched on from the first whistle.
“We’ll take confidence into this week from a strong win last round, and just focus on our structures and composure.”
Expecting a tough encounter, the Kees coach said improving the side’s composure will be crucial on Saturday and beyond.
“We are always looking at areas where we can continue to improve,” McRae said.
“We’ve dropped a couple of games that could hurt us later in the season heading into finals, so a major focus for us at the moment is maintaining composure under pressure and delivering a consistent performance across all four quarters.”
Although the team would have liked an extra win or two at this stage of the season, McRae believes the losses will help the team in the long run.
“I think we’re sitting in a pretty good position overall,” she said.
“Despite the few losses we’ve had, there’s been a lot we’ve been able to learn and take away from them as a group.
“There’s still plenty of growth left in the group, which is exciting heading into the second half of the season.”
Another key round eight matchup sees Pimpinio host Noradjuha Quantong.
The Tigers have gone from strength to strength this season and enter Saturday on a four-game winning streak.
But they face one of the best defensive teams in Noradjuha Quantong, who easily accounted for Taylors Lake in round seven.
Speaking after last week’s win, Bombers coach Taylor Shelley identified goal attack Tahlia Thompson as a key player her side will have to nullify.
“I think they've got a strong player in every third, with Victoria Taylor, Tahlia Thompson and Keely Pope in the midcourt as well, who's a star from the Wimmera League,” she said.
“So it'll be a hard game, but I think it'll come back to the full court performance that we put in today, taking that positivity into next week and remembering that it is a team effort.
“But I think shutting down Tahlia Thompson will be key.
“She's obviously a great goaler and brings a lot of intensity to her team, so shutting her down will be crucial to get over the line against Pimp.”
Laharum will look to make it eight wins from eight games as they host Natimuk United.
The Demons may have given up more points than they would have liked in their round seven clash against Harrow Balmoral, but the Demons still came away with a comfortable 74-47 victory.
Conversely, the Rams will be hoping for an improved performance after going down to the Saints 65-31 last weekend.
Taylors Lake will look to record its second win of the season as they host the winless Swifts.
Both teams will look to bounce back after heavy losses, but the Lakers' more competitive week-to-week performances will have them favoured at home.
At Rupanyup, the Panthers will look to upset Kaniva Leeor United.
The Cougars have announced themselves as genuine finals contenders in 2026, and after going down to Pimpinio in round seven, will aim to stay in the top five with a win on Saturday.
With competitive showings in their last two games, Rupanyup look poised to challenge the Cougars.