As the spring sun begins to descend on the Goulburn Valley, supporters of Murray Netball League will finally get a taste of finals action after a treacherous three-year absence.
And headlining the triumphant return of finals netball is an intriguing elimination final clash between Moama and Tongala at Congupna’s Memorial Park on Sunday, with the winner able to keep its season rolling for another week and the loser set for an early vacation.
Similarly to its football team, Moama has been consistently strong on the netball court all season long.
The clear top challenger to the dominant top three of Deniliquin, Rumbalara and Nathalia, the Magpies will have complete confidence their wealth of experience will rise to the fore this September.
Preparing to get into what is commonly dubbed as “the real stuff”, Moama coach Lisa Drysdale said her team was champing at the bit to get stuck into another finals series.
“We said last night at training it is a great privilege to be here and there are plenty of other players who have ended their season, so to still be out there preparing to play we are very grateful,” Drysdale said.
“The girls have been working really hard to make sure they are in perfect condition for the finals, we feel like we are playing great netball at the moment and ready to really take it to the next level over the next month.”
Tongala on the other hand has been one of the risers of the A-grade competition this season, with its exciting youth resulting in a fast-paced style of game.
Now set to take on the toughest test of the season, Blues coach Paige Wade said her girls were excited about the challenge.
“The girls are super pumped, obviously every season this is what you play for, but especially this year given we haven’t had finals for the last couple of years,” Wade said.
“We are quietly confident if we bring our best we can push Moama, but at the same time also understand it is going to be a very tough task.
“It’ll come down to who settles into the game best, so for us it will just be about getting our game going from the start.”
The home and away season series between the Magpies and Blues has been an interesting one.
Despite winning both clashes, Moama was given an almighty scare at Tongala Recreation Reserve in round 15, triumphing by one goal in what was one of the games of the season.
Drysdale said she expected a similarly close contest this time around and would be looking to her team’s finals experience to gain that all important edge.
“I’ve found we match up quite well against Tongala, our size is a real advantage for us and I feel we’ve got a bit more finals experience on our side,” she said.
“We’ve had two really solid matches against them this year and come away with wins both times, but anything can happen in finals and they may have something else up their sleeves.
“But if we can keep our composure and apply the defensive pressure we want, we’ll get over the line.”
The marquee match-up will take place in the Tongala goal circle, with star Blues shooter Milly Brock and veteran Magpies defender Jodie Lake set to do battle once again.
Wade said she had full confidence her star attacker would rise to the occasion.
“Milly has had some really good battles against Jodie Lake this year and she will obviously play a pivotal part in our game,” she said.
“Hopefully she’ll be firing and ready to go and I cannot wait to see what she brings to the finals stage.”
Nathalia faces Mulwala in the other elimination final on Saturday at Tongala Recreation Reserve.
Finishing third on the ladder, the Purples come into this clash as red-hot favourites and will be hoping to bounce back quickly from a 12-goal loss to Rumbalara last weekend.
Sneaking into the top six, Mulwala will be looking to bring the heat early and stay in the contest as long as possible.