By David Nagel
An amazing home-and-away season of West Gippsland netball has ended in joy for Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon and absolute misery for Kooweerup after an absorbing finish on the weekend.
The highlights from Saturday are almost too many to list; but let’s have a crack anyway!
Nar Nar Goon will play finals after a thumping 80-45 victory over Phillip Island.
Incredibly, after 18 rounds, the Goon and seventh-placed Kooweerup ended on equal points with the Goon scraping in by just seven goals across the entire journey of the season.
That’s right; if the Goon won 73-45, instead of 80-45, Kooweerup would be playing finals and the Goon would be sitting on the sidelines.
That’s a bitter pill for Kate Sidebottom and her Demons to swallow!
In other highlights, Inverloch-Kongwak made it 40 consecutive wins – and finish five games clear at the top – after a 60-24 win over Bunyip, while Dalyston secured the double-chance with a thrilling 38-36 victory over Tooradin-Dalmore.
The Magpies will now get a week’s rest before taking on Inverloch-Kongwak in the second semi-final in week two of finals, while the Seagulls will now have to win three tough games just to make their way to the big dance.
And Cora Lynn’s unbelievable rise to prominence has been rewarded after the Cobras secured a 44-38 win over Kilcunda-Bass to finish in fifth place on the ladder.
The Cobras and Panthers will meet again on Sunday in an elimination final at Bass.
Phew…it’s time to take a deep breath!
Cora Lynn simply had to win on Saturday or narrowly miss out on finals and started the game stylishly against the Panthers.
Ellie Keen, Miller Willis, Lexis Schade and Paige Brooks-MacMillan played some brilliant netball early, with the Cobras looking good with a 23-17 lead at half time.
But Panthers such as Grace Rand, Jemma Osborne, Kacey Maund and Sophie Baker lifter their rating in the third quarter, scoring 14-10 to cut the margin to just two goals at the final break.
The steadying hand of Brooke Abu-Jaber then saved the day for the Cobras, with her clutch final-quarter shooting leading to an 11-7 final term.
It’s a huge achievement for Cora Lynn to play finals; the first time they’ve done so since the WGFNC came to life in 2017.
Dalyston’s 38-36 win over Tooradin-Dalmore was an absolute classic, with no more than one goal separating the teams at the first three intervals.
The Magpies led 8-7 at quarter time, before both teams matched motors with seven-goal second quarters; and then 10-goal third stanzas, to set up a memorable fight to the finish.
The Magpies staved off the Seagulls, thanks mainly to the tremendous work of Gemma Thomas and Olivia Bramley in the defensive circle, and the ferocious grind of Ruby Brosnan, Mataya Maloney and Eva Garnham through the midcourt.
Ebony Dolan, Jess Maher and Stacey Sawyer were four-quarter warriors for the Seagulls…who will now have to win the premiership the hard way.
Nar Nar Goon timed its run perfectly against Phillip Island, scoring 21-12 in the final quarter to edge its way into sixth spot.
The Goon girls put the hammer down from the outset, scoring 19-12 in the opener, and 22-10 in the second, to keep their finals hopes alive.
Players like Meaghan Winter, Taylah Ellis, Kyra Esler and Chantelle Dale continued to apply pressure in the third, before Esler went crazy in the final term.
She shot 17 of her team’s 21 goals; doing just enough to play finals.
In other games, Garfield finished its season on a high with a 17-7 first quarter leading to a 57-47 win over a gutsy Warragul Industrials.
The Stars looked terrific in the opening exchanges, with Natalie Loogman and Tyla Redwood proving a huge force in the circle, while Jemima Sheedy was clinical and precise through the midcourt.
The Dusties never gave up all day, with Jessie Wyatt, Holly Cheyne and Shaylee Wilson finishing off a disappointing season in a positive way; winning the final quarter 16 goals to 12.
Inverloch-Kongwak will now have a week’s rest, before gunning for a spectacular three premierships on the trot, after an easy win over Bunyip, while Kooweerup defeated Korumburra-Bena 52-46 in a high-standard shootout at Denhams Road.
The Demons miss out on finals, but can hold their heads high after one of their best wins for the season.
Just seven more goals…that’s all they needed across 18 rounds of netball; to be saddling up for the 2024 finals series.
Korumburra-Bena finish one place behind them in eighth place on the ladder.
Tooradin-Dalmore (3) and Nar Nar Goon (6) play an elimination final at Inverloch on Saturday, before Kilcunda-Bass (4) hold home-court advantage over Cora Lynn (5) on Sunday.
Both games begin at 2.45pm.
