Blues and Pies dare to dream of grand final glory

While the 2023 premiers haven't had the world-beating season many would expect from defending champions, the Blues did enough in the regular season to put themselves in a good position to go the distance in finals.

Tongala have found form in the finals thus far, topping Deniliquin Rams by a goal in the second elimination final and emerging victorious against Nathalia in the first semi by four.

“I think we’ve definitely started playing some of our best netball when it matters most,” said Tongala coach Grace Hammond.

“Obviously, we dropped a few games during the season, so we’ve started to come good at the right time.

“It’s definitely taken the full four-quarter efforts out of the girls to get the job done in both the finals we’ve played so far and I think that’s a credit to our never-say-die attitude.”

Meanwhile, Moama has had a strong run throughout the season, yet despite holding a lead against Rumbalara in their match-up in the second semi-final, it was ultimately downed by the flag favourite.

“I thought it was probably the best attempt we’ve had against Rumba. I’m really excited to get past this week and hopefully get them when it counts in the grand final,” said Moama coach Olivia Taverna.

“Rumba are very strong and you’ve got to give them credit where credit’s due but we’re more focusing on what we can control and just studying ourselves.

“I think a lot of the turnovers were our own errors rather than the ones that were forced so it’s just making sure that we’re limiting our turnovers and mistakes.”

The two sides met twice in the regular season with each earning a win.

Tonny rolled to victory in round five, a second-half surge earning it a 54-46 win, while Moama responded in round 12 to take the rematch 50-43.

Heading into a tiebreaker on the prominent stage of a preliminary final, both coaches are focusing on their own side of the fence.

“I’m just looking inwards and we’ve got to focus on the things that we can,” said Taverna.

“I think if you try and figure out the other team too much it can work against you so we’re just focusing on what we can and playing together and enjoying the process as well.”

Hammond echoed her opposite’s sentiments.

“Moama are a great side and they play together as a great team so we know that we just need to do what we do best and we need to do it well,” said Hammond.

“We can’t bring anything new into the game at this point, just use all the tools in our toolbox and take the game a quarter at a time and hopefully, we can come away with the win, but it’s going to be a grind.”

B-grade

With Tongala waiting in the wings, Moama and Deniliquin Rams will battle for a grand final spot.

The teams split their regular season meetings, with Moama scoring a 20-goal win in round three, before Deni rebounded in round 14, earning an 11-goal victory.

The Rams finished the year higher on the table, a game ahead of the Magpies.

C-reserve

Moama and Echuca United will battle for a place on grand final day, with the winner to take on Tongala.

Moama will go in as favourite, having finished higher on the ladder and taken both the side’s regular season matchups.

However, Echuca United has been on a remarkable run so far this finals campaign. Coming from fifth position, the Eagles have toppled the fourth and third seeds, Nathalia and Finley, by a single goal in consecutive weeks to reach the final three.