Tallygaroopna’s Ella Davidson and Lancaster’s Charli Westerveld get tangled up in the fight for possession.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Lancaster has kept its 2025 Kyabram District League A-grade netball finals dream alive with a pivotal win over Tallygaroopna away from home on Saturday, in a round where other clubs jostling for a finals position faltered.
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The Wombats headed to Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve having lost their past four matches, sitting at 3-7 from their opening 10 rounds and three games down on the sixth-placed Redlegs.
But the 2024 runner-up defied recent form with a solid display at the weekend, comfortably accounting for Tallygaroopna and breathing life back into its season.
Lancaster goaler Renee Ashmore finds space on the court.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Never looking troubled, the Wombats claimed a strong 46-27 victory, clinching their fourth win of the season much to the delight of coach Elly Westerveld.
“It went really well, the girls all played really well, every single one of them played a good game, which is obviously why we came away with a win,” she said.
“Our goalers were on, which makes a big difference, and the defensive end was strong bringing it out, bringing it down the court.
“It’s how they probably should have played all year, (if they had) we would be up the ladder a bit, I think.”
Tallygaroopna’s Cienna Halden looks for a path out of defence.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The emphatic triumph and complete team performance, elevates the Wombats to seventh on the ladder at 4-7 for the year, with Westerveld confident Saturday’s victory could prove to be a turning point for her side that is finally beginning to gel after a turbulent start.
“Definitely,” was Westerveld’s response when asked if things have started to click.
“The team probably hasn’t been settled all year, we’ve had a few changes and different things, a few injuries and a few new ones come in, so yeah, definitely they were a lot more settled (on Saturday).”
Lancaster’s Karla Ryan presents as an option.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
With six rounds remaining, Lancaster remains two games outside the top six and, while Westerveld is confident her group will be right in the mix to play finals come round 18, she conceded the poor start could mean its fate is in the hands of others.
“From the start of the season I thought we should (make) finals,” she said.
“But we have just obviously had a couple of losses throughout the year that we should have definitely won and that has bumped us down a bit.
“It will probably come down to, as long as we can get the wins, it will probably depend on some other teams and what they do as to whether we’ll make it in or not.”
Tallygaroopna’s Fiona Down looks to dish off a pass.
While complimentary of the entire squad that faced the Redlegs, Westerveld saved special mention for a pair of players that were in imperious form.
“I think Jadeja Davies had a strong game, she started in defence, but then rolled into wing attack and Lexi Thomas had a great game too,” she said.
“(Thomas) has sort of been in and out throughout the season, she’s had a few different things on … but she’s played the last few weeks and was probably our standout I thought (for) her accuracy in goals.”
Lancaster’s Charli Westerveld looks for a teammate.
Elsewhere, Rushworth continued its brilliant form with a 49-24 win over Violet Town, with the Towners now slipping to 11th on the ladder, Shepparton East continued its perfect run of 11 straight wins to defeat Avenel 45-25, while Girgarre returned to form with a 67-25 thumping of Undera.
Tallygaroopna’s Ella Davidson scans the court for a teammate.
Merrigum advanced up the ladder into eighth spot following a 51-40 victory over Murchison-Toolamba, with the Hoppers tumbling to ninth following the loss.
Nagambie hosted Stanhope in the sole Sunday clash at the weekend, with the former taking the spoils 57-44.
