By David Nagel
The two most successful clubs in the brief history of WGFNC A Grade netball will battle for the ultimate prize on Saturday when Inverloch-Kongwak takes on Dalyston in the 2024 grand final at Garfield.
Dalyston was the early-trend setter of the competition, winning the inaugural grand final against Korumburra-Bena in 2017 before making it back-to-back success stories with a one-goal win over Phillip Island in 2018.
They were then defeated by Tooradin-Dalmore in the 2019 decider, but haven’t been back to the big dance ever since.
The Magpies are the only club to have played in every finals series in the WGFNC.
But the emergence of Inverloch-Kongwak has been one of the great success stories over the last three years.
Jarrad Walker took over as coach in 2022 and propelled the Sea Eagles to back-to-back flags in his only two years at the helm.
The Sea Eagles prevailed after a classic season-long battle with Bunyip in 2022, before proving too good for Tooradin-Dalmore last year.
Walker handed over to incoming coach Liza Burrows; who had the intimidating task of trying to maintain a 22-game winning streak and win three premierships on the trot.
To this point, Burrows and her team have handled the pressure with aplomb.
They have currently extended the winning streak to an impressive 41 games, and now sit just one win away from the first treble in WGFNC history.
The Sea Eagles have six players – Kelly Boyd, Kelsey Buxton, Renee Pilkington, Lanni Pryor, Ella Sadler and Amy Scott – that will complete the three-peat with victory on the weekend, while players like Kate French, Olivia Cumming and Kasey Teakle will look to add their names to an illustrious honour roll of champions.
Buxton is a player who loves the biggest stage of all, having won the best on court medal in the previous two grand finals.
The task ahead of Dalyston is huge, but the Magpies showed undeniable grit and composure to work their way through a difficult situation against Nar Nar Goon last week.
Jarney Thomas was unstoppable in Goal Attack, while defenders Gemma Thomas and Olivia Bramley gradually ground their opponents down.
But these Sea Eagles are a different proposition; and only a complete one-hour of netball will keep the Magpies in the contest.
It will be tight and tense at times…but it’s the Sea Eagles to create history; winning a third-consecutive premiership, after a thrilling two-goal victory.
