THE RUN HOME: YOUR BFNL NETBALL TEAM’S ROAD TO FINALS
BY KIERAN ILES
BENDIGO TIMES
AS THE countdown to BFNL A-grade netball finals heats up, we look at what your club needs to do to play finals and what it hopes to achieve over the last five home and away rounds.
A season-shaping round 12 of action will include two crunch games, with Eaglehawk aiming to nail down fifth spot against finals aspirant Strathfieldsaye, and South Bendigo looking to consolidate its brilliant run of form against premiership contender Sandhurst at the QEO.
EAGLEHAWK
Ladder position/win-loss record: Fifth (3-6-1)
Record v current top five: 0-6-1
Last five: LLLWL
Best win: A 17-goal win over Golden Square in round one in which the Hawks introduced several recruits launched their season on a winning note.
Key game ahead: v Strathfieldsaye at Tannery Lane (round 12). Following three losses in a row and four from their last five games, the Hawks simply need a win to regain some momentum. A victory would give them more breathing space in their battle against the Storm for fifth spot.
Potential best and fairest leader: Gracie Berryman has been a standout and was on track to represent the BFNL at the Association Championships in June. Allira Holmes has provided steady leadership in defence and has been particularly strong through the middle part of the season.
Teams they play three times: Kangaroo Flat.
Potential obstacles: Following their clash against the Storm, the Hawks play only three times in the last five rounds – twice against Kangaroo Flat and once against Sandhurst.
Coach says: “It’s been a stop-start season with all the byes, so it’s been hard getting any momentum going. We have to beat Storm (this week) if we want to play finals. It’s been tough going against the top three teams, which has been the case in this league for a while now. We haven’t quite got to where we’ve wanted to in our attack end, but we are working on that. We’re reasonably happy where we are at and hopefully we can finish in the top five. If we do, we’ll probably play South first-up and we have done well against them.” - Jannelle Hobbs
GISBORNE
Ladder position/win-loss record: Third (6-4)
Last five: WWLLW
Record v current top five: 3-4
Best win: The Bulldogs’ round two win over South Bendigo is their lone to date against a top four team, but their 58-13 win in round 11 against Eaglehawk was the more satisfying, given they had a full-complement of players on court for a rare occasion this year.
Key game ahead: v Sandhurst at Gardiner Reserve (round 13). The Bulldogs would dearly love to underline their premiership credentials with a win over a top two rival.
Potential best and fairest leader: Tough to split between Kirby Elliott and Charlee Kemp in defence.
Teams they play three times: Strathfieldsaye and Sandhurst.
Potential obstacles: The Bulldogs have seen the last of ladder leaders Kangaroo Flat until finals but must still face old foe Sandhurst twice in the run home.
Coach says: “It’s been good welcoming back a full squad in recent weeks, with Claudia Mawson and Zoe Davies back from other duties, so the next few weeks we’ll be busy finalising our combinations and seeing what works best. But I’ve been happy giving girls opportunities in different grades – development across the board has improved. From here, we’ll look to builds nicely into finals, given that they are not too far away.” – Tarryn Rymer
GOLDEN SQUARE
Ladder position/win-loss record: Seventh (1-8)
Last five: LLLLL
Record v current top five: 0-7
Best win: The Bulldogs’ 44-39 win over South Bendigo is their only win to date.
Key game ahead: v Strathfieldsaye at Tannery Lane (round 16). The Bulldogs came within five goals of beating the Storm in round four and within nine in round 11. It’s easily their best hope of another win, with their next four games against teams ranked first, fourth, third and second on the ladder.
Potential best and fairest leader: Keira Lawry has been a model of consistency in defence, while Jess Smith has earned a reputation as a quiet achiever mainly at centre and wing defence, while occasionally slotting in to wing attack.
Teams they play three times: Sandhurst and Strathfieldsaye.
Potential obstacles: Four of their remaining five games are against top four opponents, starting with Gisborne.
Captain says: “We’ve been a bit unsettled, with a lot of injuries and illnesses, but that’s given a lot of opportunities to 17s, B-squad and A-res girls to play up a grade. That has led to improvement being shown across the netball side of the club. While there has only been the one win, we have been really competitive. I feel we are ready to take our netball to the next level.”- Mia McCrann-Peters
KANGAROO FLAT
Ladder position/win-loss record: Top (9-0)
Last five: WWWWW
Record v current top five: 7-0
Best win: Following a big off-season on the recruiting front in which they netted Ruby Barkmeyer, Teal Hocking and Alicia McGlashan, the Roos showed just how hard they would be to beat this season with a 28-goal win over reigning premier Gisborne in round one.
Key game ahead: Having completed their home and away commitments against Gisborne and Sandhurst, round 14 and 16 clashes with South Bendigo loom as the toughest to come.
Potential best and fairest leader: Ruby Barkmeyer has excelled in her return to the BFNL, but you can never discard the chances of dual Betty Thompson medallist Chelsea Sartori and Ash Ryan.
Teams they play three times: Eaglehawk and South Bendigo.
Potential obstacles: Only an upset against the Bloods can prevent the Roos from posting an unbeaten home and away season.
Coach says: “We’re happy – you can’t complain when you haven’t lost a game. The scary thing for us is we still have a lot of work to do. We have a full team back now. We haven’t been able to train as a full unit yet, so we now get the chance over the next five or six weeks to work hard together. We’ve got connections to build, and with teams chasing us, we want to take our game to the next level.” – Jayden Cowling
SANDHURST
Ladder position/win-loss record: Second (7-2)
Last five: LWWWW
Record v current top five: 3-2
Best win: Always fiercely contested games, the Dragons got the better of reigning premier Gisborne in round six by 18 goals.
Key game ahead: v Gisborne at Gardiner Reserve (round 13). Another win over the Bulldogs would virtually assure the Dragons second spot on the ladder going into finals. Both teams expect to be either at full strength, or close to it.
Potential best and fairest leader: Shae Clifford is having a stellar season at all levels of netball. Sophie Shoebridge has been the Dragons’ pillar in defence in the sometimes absence of Ruby Turner and Heather Oliver.
Teams they play three times: Golden Square and Gisborne.
Potential obstacles: Albeit more of a challenge they will relish, the Dragons still have to confront Gisborne twice and negotiate an in-form South Bendigo in round 12.
Coach says: “I’m pretty happy with where we are situated. As every coach will tell you, it’s been pretty hard getting consistency of game play in A-grade. It’s one of our many battles, trying to keep the connections between the girls, the combinations, and the trainings. Between all that, some of the clubs have their VNL girls we need to load manage, so it’s been quite a tricky season. But for all those factors, I’m pretty happy with where we are. As long as we finish top three (at the end of the home and away season), let’s see what happens.” – Tamara Gilchrist
SOUTH BENDIGO
Ladder position/win-loss record: Fourth (4-4-1)
Last five: WWWLL
Record v current top five: 2-3-1
Best win: The Bloods claimed a top three scalp when they defeated Gisborne 51-49 in round nine, marking Bendigo Strikers goaler Bridgette Furphy’s debut for the club.
Key game ahead: v Sandhurst at the QEO (round 12). A win would give the in-form Bloods another top four scalp and four wins in a row.
Potential best and fairest leader: Despite missing a group of games while overseas, Gabe Richards is a proven vote-getter and should finish the season strongly. Andrea Wilson and defender Hayley Harrington have been among the Bloods’ most consistent.
Teams they play three times: Kangaroo Flat.
Potential obstacles: The Bloods play ladder leaders Kangaroo Flat twice in a row to end the home and away season, in rounds 14 and 16, bookending a bye in round 15.
Coach says: - “It’s a pretty interrupted finish to the season with back-to-back byes (Castlemaine and interleague) and another bye to come (in round 15), so we’ve had to think pretty strategically about what we do with our training and do we throw in some praccy matches. But with three wins in a row, the confidence is up and that goes a long way. I have full faith Bridgette Furphy will be available for the rest of the season and she will be another fantastic acquisition for the team.” - Lauren Bowles
STRATHFIELDSAYE
Ladder position/win-loss record: 2-8 (sixth)
Last five: WLLLL
Record v current top five: 0-8
Best win: The Storm’s two wins have both come against Golden Square. Their round 11 triumph by nine goals was the bigger of the two.
Key game ahead: v Eaglehawk at Tannery Lane (round 12). It’s now or never for the Storm. A win puts them within two points of the fifth-placed Hawks - a loss six points behind with ultra-tough assignments against Kangaroo Flat and Gisborne to come in their remaining three games.
Potential best and fairest leader: Emmie Banfield has done a great job contending with the league’s glut of powerhouse shooters. Equal sixth in last year’s league best and fairest, Brooke Mangan is enjoying another consistent season.
Teams they play three times: Gisborne and Golden Square.
Potential obstacles: After Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat and Gisborne await at a time when the Storm desperately need wins to make finals.
Coach says: “We are definitely missing those teams that have either left (the BFNL) or are not fielding teams to feel a bit more success. The top three are very strong, but there is still a really good fight between us, Eaglehawk, Golden Square and South. We knew it would be tricky, but we’ve done some nice things this season, which we will keep working on for next season. It’s definitely been hard to get a routine going with all the breaks.” - Jess Mangan
