Grand Final: Netball Review
By Chelsea Ryan
It was a super exciting grand final day at Rowan Reserve! The pinnacle we have all been waiting for after an uninterrupted season, it was appreciated and soaked up by all. Supporters flocked to the courts, cheers from both sides were deafening, the rain held off and teams gave it their all to be crowned 2022 premiers.
A1 Division
Grand Final
Dingley (1) 39 defeated Cheltenham (1) 32
A standalone grand final at 3pm where two high class teams put on a fantastic show.
Cheltenham having learnt from their past couple of clashes with Dingley, gave them a red hot crack. Unfortunately for their side it wasn’t enough to overcome the Dingos, who have been the powerhouse all season and well deserving of the premiership glory.
Dingley had an excellent start with impressive shooting by Isabella Hodgson, doubling the points in their lead by the end of the first quarter. Cheltenham switched up their combinations across the court and settled into the game with great plays beginning in attack and stand out defence by Georgie Whittle in GD. Dingley seemed confident across the game despite the chase until the very end. Cheltenham won the second and last quarter but the damage was done early on and extended out in the third. Dingley got the win by 7 points and were named A1 premiers for the 2022 season.
A2 Division
Grand Final
Port Melbourne Colts (1) 33 defeated Dingley (2) 28
An exciting grand final to watch with the game going back and forth on the scoreboard.
Port Melbourne had a great start to the game coming in with focus after a week off, holding the lead at quarter time. Dingley stepped it up a notch in the second, coming in determined not to let the game get away from them, leading at half time by 2 and just 1 at three quarter time. Dingley had a consistent momentum and kept combinations throughout the entire game. Maybe weariness from their side, or maybe a burst of energy from Port Melbourne, there was a switch in the fourth with Port Melbourne rising up. Kelly Nelson was superb across the mid court with brilliant feeds into the ring where goalers shot a flurry of goals. 10 in the final quarter compared to Dingley’s 4, had Port Melbourne elated when the final siren went, celebrating victory by 5 points.
A3 Division
Grand Final
Dingley (3) 45 defeated Springvale Districts (1) 38
An upset definitely makes things interesting! Dingley, who finished 4th on the ladder, had a fantastic finals series beating Keysborough in the semi, East Brighton in the preliminary, and have risen up to take the premiership from top finisher of the ladder Springvale Districts!
A victory worth celebrating hard for. Dingley took the momentum from previous wins and applied it to their game, trailing from the beginning to only be one goal down at three quarter time.
Dingley didn’t give up though, excellent feeding from attackers had GS Chelsea finishing it off, winning by 7.
Springvale Districts will be disappointed with the outcome but it’s whoever is best on the day and Dingley really turned up the pressure to overcome the powerhouse team. We look forward to Springvale Districts form next year where they pursue the premiership cup once again.
A4 Division
Grand Final
South Yarra (2) 26 defeated Mordialloc (2) 25
A nail biter of a game to watch! South Yarra who just lead from the beginning by small margins managed to seal the premiership win by only 1 point.
Another team who rose on the day, South Yarra finished 4th on the ladder to overcome the powerful force that is Mordialloc, who had an amazing season finishing 1st on the ladder.
Mordialloc would be disappointed with the outcome, they can take solace in that there was not one particular quarter they lost it in. South Yarra were consistent in their game and really connected with each other for their plays down the court.
The outcome could have been very different had there been another minute one timer, but alas there wasn’t and South Yarra were over the moon with a fairy tale win for their club.
A huge congratulations to everyone who won their grade premiership! Though upon reflection we are all winners this season. We got to be part of something we all love once again, our netball community. Whether you were involved on the court, supported from the side lines or followed online, we thank you for contribution and support.
A big shout out to the SFNL team and particularly to our Netball Operations Coordiantor Sue Kimber. Without their hard work our Saturday netball wouldn’t be possible.
Enjoy the end of season celebrations and see you next year!
