Netball
28 April, 2026
Saints surge late to down Demons
The Horsham Saints have claimed one of their most memorable wins in recent years with an emphatic 67-53 win against rival Horsham.
Playing at dusk in front of a crowd worthy of a final, the defending premiers overcame a five-goal deficit to win by 14 goals.
Jorja Clode led the Saints to their 20th consecutive win, scoring 53 goals from 58 attempts.
Olivia Taylor and Lena Marshman contributed 10 and four goals, respectively.
For the Demons, Imogen Worthy scored 40 goals, supported by Georgie Carberry with 10 and Zarli Knight with three.
After the game, Saints coach Vernetta Taylor noted that the final margin did not reflect the match's competitiveness.
“Demons absolutely brought it today. All credit to them,” she said.
“They've clearly been working really hard with their new lineup.
“They were fierce, and they really made us work hard for it.
“We only got ahead in that last quarter, so we were behind all game.
“I think it's exciting for what the season's going to bring.”
In their first meeting since the 2025 grand final, the Saints and Demons exchanged goals during the opening seven minutes before the hosts scored six consecutive goals.
The Saints reduced a 15-9 deficit late in the quarter, but the Demons led 17-14 at the first break.
Taylor instructed her team to maintain their structure and focus on cutting off passes.
“This game was a little bit more physical (than round one),” she said.
“They have really strong defenders. We had to really lock in and go back to our structures.
“I felt we were not putting enough hands over the ball, which gave them a good look at what options were available.
“So once we were able to put a bit more pressure on the pass, it made them make a few mistakes.”
Both teams exchanged scoring runs, and at halftime, the Demons held a three-goal lead at 30-27.
In the second quarter, the Saints replaced Zeena Kelm with Marshman and brought Olivia Taylor off the bench.
“Lena started in goal attack for us,” Taylor said.
“I swung her into goalkeeper, to work with Maddison Bethune. Their ability, their agility to take the high ball, worked for us.
“Lena and Maddie are a lovely combination together; it's a luxury to have Lena, because we can use her from one end of the court to the other.”
The Saints attempted 23 shots in the third quarter, drawing level with three minutes remaining.
They outscored the Demons 16-13, entering the final break tied at 43.
With momentum, the Saints scored 10 of the first 13 goals in the final quarter.
The visitors converted 24 of 26 attempts and restricted the Demons to 13 shots, of which they made 10.
“I'm really proud of the team, because they didn't panic,” Taylor said.
“Even though we were down nearly all game, they didn't panic.
“I just said, we know what works, trust in that, and they did that.”
Marshman and Clode were named best on court for the Saints, while Demons midcourters Jorja Jones and Georgia Hiscock received best player honours for the hosts.