Sport

Women’s premiership race tightens

By Matthew Kappos

Aug 26, 2026

The Border Raiders women’s regular season premiership dreams will come down to the final week, the side currently leading the competition on goal difference.

Echuca Moama has lost its buffer at the top of Football Victoria Greater Bendigo Women’s League 2 after a narrow defeat at the weekend.

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The Border Raiders were at home at Jack Eddy Oval in Moama with the opportunity to all but seal the premiership with a victory.

Third-ranked Castlemaine Goldfields was the visitor for what played out as a tense encounter.

Both clubs had shots at the other’s goals, but only Castlemaine’s Stella Oxner could find the back of the net winning it for her side.

It sets up a last-round shootout for top spot, with Border Raiders and Swan Hill tied on 34 points apiece.

The local side has the advantage of a six-goal better goal difference, meaning should both sides win their final game, Swan Hill would need to run up a big score to overtake Echuca Moama.

The Border Raiders head to bottom of the table La Trobe University in what looks a favourable fixture, but is complicated by La Trobe grabbing its first points of the season this weekend in a 4-0 demolition of Spring Gully.

Meanwhile, Swan Hill has a much harder fixture in store, at home to Castlemaine Goldfields.

Both games will be held this Sunday, the Swan Hill match kicking off first at 11.35am followed by the Border Raiders’ contest at 12.30pm.

Men

With the premiership already locked up, the Border Raiders men continued on their merry way at the weekend, seeking to iron out any kinks ahead of the finals series.

The game was in the balance for much of the clash against Castlemaine Goldfields Green, but the league leader put the opposition away in the final half hour to take the points 3-1.

Gaston Dassis opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 29th minute, and the Border Raiders would hold the narrow advantage into the half.

However, shortly after the break, Castlemaine were level, with Anthony Rongonao firing home to tie things up.

The Border Raiders needed a spark to break the deadlock, and Jean-Claude Herman provided it, scoring his side’s second with just under 30 minutes to play.

Samuel Wanesiofa would put the finishing touches on the performance with a third in the 73rd minute.

The Border Raiders have another week off this weekend before finishing their regular season at home to Colts United on September 5.