B-grade
Finals weather turned it on, the sun was out, and some heated netball was happening.
Goorambat won the toss, taking the first centre pass and scoring the first goal for the game.
Goalers Jacinta Beavis and Chelsea Bamford lost radar for a moment, and King Valley capitalised on the situation with its accuracy being on point, going into the first break on top.
The second quarter saw some changes, and Erin Hernan was a great addition to the goal ring, giving some great flow and opportunities to score.
There were a lot of tips and mid-court touches from Hannah Botta, and Jo Gall had a lot of loose balls that didn’t quite go the Bats’ way, always falling in the lap of a King Valley player.
An injury on the Valley team saw the momentum change for a few minutes before Valley got into a rhythm.
The Bats still pushed hard and worked endlessly. They had some great turnovers from Madeline Thomas and Georgia Thomson but could not capitalise on and convert in the goal ring.
The Bats pushed on and did not go down without a fight.
Hannah Botta and Tiffany Kirkpatrick gave incredible drive and solid strength in mid-court, but Valley had everything fall its way.
The game did not fall the Bats’ way, but congratulations go to the side for making the finals in 2023.
C-grade
Goorambat 43 def. by Greta 56
The C-grade side played off against Greta in the first elimination final.
Goorambat got off to a strong start with the great direction of play from Alyssa Priest in centre.
Preist, combined with fantastic feeding by Ruby Richardson in wing attack and Sophie Hammond in goal, ensured Poppy Broomhall could capitalise on all the shots for goals, only to have the Bats trailing by three at the first break.
The second quarter saw minimal changes to the team as Lacey Carter and Bronti Mustey linked up brilliantly in defence against a very tall shooter.
Half-time saw the Bats four goals down, and after the break, Molly Martin and Eleanor Renkin stepped up in the wing defence position, putting on the pressure.
Issie De Fazio and Ella Parrent worked together in the third quarter in centre and wing attack to create significant passages of play, but in the end, it was not the Bats day and they went down by 13.
The club would like to congratulate the C-grade players for making it into the finals and the under-15s who stepped up and helped in the final.
The girls also missed teammate Charli Button, who was too unwell to play.
The club also thanks all parents who help out and support every week and a special thank you and well done to Emma Dowdell for coaching the girls this season.