Netball
6 May, 2026
Saints, Bombers draw in almighty thriller
Two of the leading Horsham District Football Netball League A grade netball sides could not be separated in round four on Saturday May 2, with Edenhope Apsley and Noradjuha Quantong playing out a 40-40 draw.
In windy conditions at Edenhope, both teams were strong defensively in the early going, with the Saints opening up a 9-7 lead by the first break.
The two sides remained neck and neck over the next two quarters, with the home side up 20-19 at half-time, before Noradjuha Quantong was up 28-27 at the final break.
Edenhope Apsley looked to be up three goals in the final minutes before the Bombers reduced the deficit to one.
The Saints appeared to have won by one goal according to the scoreboard, but a check of the scoring sheet confirmed the both teams had finished locked together on 40.
Bombers coach Taylor Shelley said the draw was a fitting but somewhat bittersweet result, saying that both sides played a great game.
“It was a bit of a shock; we definitely thought we'd lost by a goal to Edenhope,” Shelley said.
“To actually get a draw was a bit of a mixed feeling.
“You’re obviously stoked not to have lost the game but you start thinking about all those little things that you could have done differently, especially in that last quarter.
“I think a draw was probably really fitting, to be honest.
“It was a great game of netball.
"The biggest margin either way was three goals so no one really ever had full control of the game.
“It was a really hard-fought contest from both teams.”
For the Bombers, Shelley led the way with 16 goals while Ashlee Morrish had 15.
Playing primarily from goal attack, Dee Dee Lambert was one of the best on court for the Saints with 32 goals, while Danielle Grindlay had a strong performance as goal keeper.
The Bombers coach said she was happy with the all-round team effort, with Leah Mirtschin and Jess Leader continuing their early season-form.
“Everyone played their part,” Shelley said.
“Leah Mirtschin was very solid again in defence and I thought Jess Leader played a really good game at centre.
“Jess played a great defensive game and, coming into the attack end, fed the ball really well into the goal.”
At Taylors Lake, Pimpinio were able to come back from a third-quarter slump to defeat the Lakers in a close 39-36 encounter.
The wet conditions contributed to several early turnovers for both sides but it was Pimpinio who capitalised to hold a 9-5 lead at quarter-time.
The Tigers maintained their momentum in the second as both sides appeared to adjust to the challenging conditions, with the visitors leading 24-17 at half-time.
But a strong fightback, highlighted by great defensive anticipation, as well as accurate shooting from Tayla Eltze, saw the Lakers take the lead, entering the fourth quarter up 29-27.
A switch of Tahlia Thompson back to goal attack and Emily Hannan to centre paid immediate dividends for the visitors, enabling them to take back the lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers maintained a three-to-four-goal buffer for the remainder of the game before eventually holding on for the win.
Thompson was one of the best on court, finishing with 20 goals, while Mikayla Dumesny had 18.
Youngster Ruby Williams had a strong game on the defensive end at goal keeper.
For the Lakers, Eltze led the way with 26 goals, while Zoe Gray performed well in defence in the second half.
At Laharum, the Demons continued their emphatic start to the 2026 season with a comprehensive 68-33 victory over Kaniva Leeor.
Laharum opened up an 18-7 lead by quarter-time and never looked troubled for the remainder of the game, extending their lead in each quarter to ultimately win by 35 goals.
Ilze Van Zyl and Caitlin Jones-Story had great games in goal, with 29 and 34 goals, respectively, with Ema Iredell having a standout performance in goal defence.
For the Cougars, Abby Croft continued her strong start to 2026 with 21 goals, while Ruby Gordon had an impressive game at goal keeper.
Playing at home, Kalkee bounced back from their close loss to Pimpinio with a 50-24 victory over Rupanyup.
Emily Langley led the Kees with 20 goals, with Jarrah Martin finishing with 16 goals, and Tamika Mentha had an impressive game in the midcourt.
For the Panthers, Phoebe Downer finished with 18 goals while Gemma Morgan and Rhianan Woods were among the side’s best in the midcourt and on the defensive end, respectively.
At Natimuk, a clinical third quarter saw the Rams defeat the Swifts 42-27 for their second win of the year.
Little separated the sides in the first half, with Natimuk United taking a slight 19-16 lead late in the second quarter.
But the home side extended their lead to 14 by the end of the third quarter before finishing with a 15-goal victory.
Stacey Hopwood and Emme Uebergang finished with 22 and 20 goals, respectively, with Bethany Sudholz also having a strong game in goal defence.
For the Baggies, Jade Ralph finished with 16 goals and Kathryn Boag performed strongly in the midcourt.