By Marcus Uhe
Narre Warren will take its premiership defence right to the final afternoon of the Outer East Football Netball A Grade netball season on Saturday after booking a place in the grand final in a dominant preliminary final performance.
The Magpies, scorned after another loss to its nemesis Mt Evelyn in the second semi final last week, put any concerns of a straight sets exit to bed by quarter time in a beat down of Wandin in Sunday’s preliminary final, on its way to an 18-goal win, 58-40 at Rob Porter Recreation Reserve.
A rematch of last season’s epic A-Grade grand final at the same venue was anything but, thanks to a sensational opening term from the Magpies.
They reached the quarter-time break with a 21-9 lead, on the back of a clinical performance in the goal circle from Erin Bell.
Narre Warren looked nervous in the opening minutes, losing its possession advantage on the back of an air-balled shot from Chelsea Tonna.
At the other end of the court, Emmalia Blake made no mistake with her first attempt, despite a contact penalty from Gabrielle Dwyer.
Wandin took an early 2-0 lead, but that was as good as it got for the Bulldogs, who succumbed to the overwhelming pressure from Narre Warren, and the dead-eye accuracy from Bell.
Wandin Goal Keeper Ruby Tidd’s physicality, which saw her overpower Pakenham’s Charlotte Hudolin last week, was no match for the experience and wisdom of former Australian Diamond, who showed her craft in the goal circle to work her way into scoring positions.
The Blake and Dwyer match up at the other end, meanwhile, had flipped into the Magpies’ favour.
When Blake had a successful shot waved off by referees when trailing by seven goals midway through the quarter, she was benched, giving Dwyer an early psychological win.
Her replacement, Lauren Spinks, copped a ball to the face in one of her early involvements on the court, and took time to settle into her work.
Wandin made a better start to the second term as they looked to chip away at the Narre Warren lead, scoring five of the first eight goals of the quarter, but they struggled to completely stem the bleeding.
Narre Warren’s reserves players, in Julia Kaitani, Ruby Dwyer and Sophie Hennessey took to the court to reinvigorate their side, and contributed to a run of five consecutive goals to close the quarter, and create a 14-goal lead.
In what became a signature move from the Magpies, Brittany Mashado, Maddie Maund and Bell showcased elite synchronicity to work the ball from the centre pass to the goal circle in the blink of an eye, with simply no avenues for the Wandin defenders to intercept.
The Magpies led 32-18 at the half, and cruised to the 18-goal victory in the second, setting up a date with Mt Evelyn in the grand final next week.
It’s a nightmare scenario for the Magpies, facing the only side to have defeated them in 2024, and one just two to have defeated them in the last two seasons.
It’s the defensive end of the court that gives the Magpies troubles, with the Rovers offering the stingiest defence in the competition, conceding just 35.5 goals per game in 19 games this season.
The Magpies, the highest-scoring team in A-Grade, average 62.4 goals per contest, but scored just 44, 34 and 42 goals in the three contests against Mt Evelyn this season, an average of just 40, and lost to them in consecutive games before Sunday’s preliminary final.
Kailtyn Black, last season’s Jodi Chandler Medal winner as the best player in A-Grade, patrols the court from the back, and is one of few players who can stop Bell in her tracks, while size across the court presents another challenge for Narre Warren to solve.
Mt Evelyn enters the game on a seven-match winning streak, having not tasted defeat in more than two months, and will be fuelled by redemption after falling to the Magpies in a preliminary final in 2023.
It will be a mighty hurdle for the Magpies to overcome, but will make for an incredible triumph if they are successful.
The grand final will be played at 12.35pm at Rob Porter Recreation Reserve.
