Netball
3 June, 2026
Thrilling finishes highlight round eight
Round eight of the Horsham District Football Netball League A grade netball competition was defined by numerous close contests, including a draw between Taylors Lake and Swifts, and a one-point victory for the Bombers over Pimpinio.
The most comprehensive victory on Saturday saw Kaniva Leeor handily defeat Rupanyup 63-20.
In a game played at Rupanyup, the Cougars immediately stamped their authority, racing to a 17-5 quarter-time lead.
The Panthers showed more resolve in the second quarter but the visitors still extended their lead to 20 (32-12) by half-time.
Strong defensive pressure, quick ball movement through the midcourt and strong shooting from Abby Croft and Blair Burke saw the Cougars maintain complete control of the game in the second half, eventually finishing as 43-point victors.
Croft and Burke finished with 34 and 18 goals, respectively, while Ruby Gordon and Ellen Bennett were superb in defence.
For the Panthers, Phoebe Downer had 11 goals while midcourter Jemma Nagorcka and defender Rhianan Woods were among the side’s best.
Cougars coach Kylie King said she was pleased with her side’s improved start, as well as how they maintained their momentum across the four quarters.
“Really, really happy with the result today,” King said.
“Coming into this week we talked about needing to make a good start because our starts have been a bit of our letdown over previous weeks.
“To get a good start and just keep that pressure up all day, that's what they went out there and did.”
The Cougars coach said it was good to test out the side’s versatility across the game.
“It was nice to experiment a bit with that versatility that we do have as a team,” King said.
“In the second half we brought Blair Burke in from B grade to be goal shooter for the second half.
“Ruby Gordon's always really strong at goal keeper so it was good to give her some rest for her rep tournament and then we popped her in at wing defence.”
While saying she was not thinking too long-term, King said it was good to enter the long weekend with five wins.
“Especially considering last year, it’s nice to be sitting with five wins,” she said.
“It's a nice position to be in but we can't get comfortable.
“We've got a tough run home so we're looking forward to a couple of weeks off.
“We'll just have a couple of light trainings the next two weeks, have a bit of a rest up, and then focus on the second half of the season and see what comes from there.”
At Pimpinio, Noradjuha Quantong came away with a thrilling 48-47 win over the Tigers.
The home side got the edge in the first quarter to lead 13-11 but the Bombers responded strongly in the second quarter to take a 27-22 half-time lead.
The Tigers managed to even the score at 36-36 by the final break, before both teams traded the lead several times in the closing quarter.
Consecutive goals to the Bombers late in the game gave them the edge as they eventually held on to win.
Ash Morrish (27 from 32) and Shannon Couch (21 from 28) were impressive in the goal circle for the visitors, while centre Jess Leader and goal defence Leah Mirtschin again had strong performances.
For Pimpinio, Mikayla Dumesny (27 from 40) and Tahlia Thompson (20 from 26) had sound performances on the offensive end, with midcourters Keely Pope and Emily Hannan among the side’s best.
At Dock Lake, nothing separated Taylors Lake and the Baggies in their 36-36 draw.
Sitting 10-10 after the first quarter, the Swifts managed to hold a six-goal lead at each of the next two breaks.
But the Lakers quickly erased the deficit midway through the fourth quarter before the sides traded goals till the final siren.
Tayla Eltze was one of the Lakers’ best with her 24 goals, while Chloe Kelm had a strong performance playing both ends of the court.
Jade Ralph led the Swifts with 25 goals and Kathryn Boag performed well in the midcourt.
At Laharum, the undefeated Demons were pushed all the way by Natimuk United, eventually prevailing 58-50.
Laharum were again proficient in the goal circle early but the Rams were able to match them, trailing the home side by just one goal (16-15) at quarter-time before levelling the scores 30-30 at half-time.
The ladder leaders were able to slow Natimuk’s attack in the second half, creating a five-goal lead at the final break before finishing eight-goal winners.
Ilze Van Zyl (32 from 38) and Caitlin Jones-Story (26 from 30) continued their accurate shooting, while Courtney Taylor had a strong defensive game in the absence of Ema Iredell.
For Natimuk, Stacey Hopwood impressed with 30 goals from 41 attempts while captain Bethany Sudholz had a strong game at goal defence.
Kalkee celebrated their club's ladies' day by storming home in the fourth quarter to defeat Harrow Balmoral 37-30.
The Kees got the better of starts to lead 10-6 at quarter-time but the Southern Roos responded on both ends of the court to be 18-15 up at half-time and maintain the three-goal lead going into the final break (26-23).
But the Kees rallied to win the final quarter 14-4, with the seven-goal victory elevating them to fifth spot on the ladder ahead of the long weekend.
Isobelle Schorback led Kalkee with 18 goals, Tamika Mentha was strong at both win attack and defence, and Emily Polack had a strong performance in the second half on the defensive end.
Megan Little was one of Harrow Balmoral’s best, finishing with 20 from 25 in the goal circle, while Brittany Burns was impressive at goal defence.