Tallygaroopna and Shepparton East brought the house down in the B-grade grand final, but it was the Redlegs’ day.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
It only felt fitting that Shepparton East and Tallygaroopna would collide in a Kyabram District League netball grand final.
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Having contested the A-grade decider 12 months ago on Mooroopna’s blue asphalt, the Eagles and Redlegs resumed their big dance on the final day in the B-grade domain.
This being Shepparton East’s only netball decider on the day, the noise naturally seemed to creep up a few decibels as the rivals locked horns.
Far and away the two top teams in regular season play, there appeared a surprisingly stark gap in the early going as the Redlegs started in similarly dominant fashion to their predecessors in C-grade.
The wind and ensuing dust brought their own factors on the court as the second got underway - and briefly called the structural integrity of the marquee covering the Eagles’ bench into question.
Tallygaroopna would hardly have cared, though, with the conditions allowing their existing five-goal buffer to plateau for large parts of the quarter.
Extraneous factors aside, what mattered were the numbers on the board, and they read 21-15 favouring the red and blue at the interval.
Defensively, keeper and skipper Rebecca Brett was doing her part to snuff out any hopes of some late drama with some handy moments in the third as the margin entered double digits.
Shooter Melinda Kittlety, another 2023 A-grade force alongside Fiona Down, was looking near-unplayable with double body defence still proving insufficient to contain her at times as she powered her side.
Of course, that didn’t stop Eagles goal attack Megan Laws from etching her name onto the highlight reel more than once with some terrific long-range shooting into tough winds, cutting the margin to four at the final change.
Some more Laws brilliance helped close the comeback hopefuls to within one goal on multiple occasions to open the final term, having been 11 down less than 15 minutes prior.
The decisive moment to bring the contest level wasn’t forthcoming for the time being, though, as things remained on a knife’s edge.
A raucous Eagles crowd willed its girls into the contest until the very end, with East sinking them from everywhere, and the atmosphere grew desperate after a late interception could have granted East the chance to force extra time.
With the ball in Eagle hands at the wrong end of the ground, the barely audible final whistle overpowered the wind and granted Tallygaroopna sweet relief, a second premiership in two hours courtesy of a nail-biting 38-37 win.
Tallygaroopna's Fiona Down knows a thing or two about high-profile meetings with the Eagles.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton East's Olivia Keady keenly anticipates the rebound.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton East's Ava Ralph takes control in a contested situation.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton East's Olivia Keady unhands the ball on a spin.
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Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Naomi Wayman came out the victorious coach in a thriller.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Melissa Hosie stops and props to seek out an option.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Fiona Down was her usual tireless self throughout this clash.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Melinda Kittlety was bestowed the post-match recognition of best player on court.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Tallygaroopna’s Naomi Wayman emotionally reflected on a taxing affair that her side bravely scraped home to win.
“We only met each other once in the home and away season and we only won by two goals after they pegged us back as well,” Wayman said.
“It was a bit even between us and we did not come out well in that first final; we lost it by four and went about it the hard way, but the girls showed that we can fight.
“The emphasis on today was to start well and just play our game, which the girls executed so well.
“The lead got taken away from us so quickly and (East) played a hell of a third quarter, so credit to them because they fought back hard, but I also think my girls played a slow, steady game with a lot of patience.
“I wanted to ask how much time was left but I couldn’t! I can’t praise the girls enough for their execution, listening and patience.”
Kittlety, her impact undeniable, took out honours as the best on ground.
“Mel has been an absolute powerhouse in A-grade and she stepped down as part of developing the younger generation,” Wayman said.
“She’s a force to be reckoned with, but she adjusted her game and credit to the Shepp East defenders; her accuracy today was quite spot on, though.”
“Best on ground was everyone today, everyone did their job so well, and the thing of the year for us was having two strong experienced players at either end.”
