Netball
2 September, 2025
Saints secure prelim spot
Edenhope Apsley triumphed over Noradjuha Quantong 50-40 in the Horsham District Football Netball League semi final.
This victory sets the stage for the Saints to challenge Kalkee in the preliminary final, offering a chance for redemption following the loss in the qualifying final.
Playing at Laharum, Edenhope Apsley demonstrated their intent early, forcing several Noradjuha Quantong turnovers, with impressive shotmaking by shooters Dee Dee Lambert and Lavinia Fox helping the Saints take a 15-6 lead late in the first quarter.
Determined defence and improved play from the Bombers reduced the lead as the Saints entered quarter time with a 16-10 lead.
Edenhope Apsley quickly scored three goals in the second quarter to extend their lead, as both sides continued to disrupt the offensive flow of their counterparts.
Noradjuha Quantong again finished the quarter well as Edenhope Aspley led 27-20 at halftime.
The Saints created a 10-point buffer early in the third, but strong defence from Brooke Pay disrupted entries to Lambert in the goal circle, creating numerous turnovers late in the quarter. Taya Quick took advantage on the other end, reducing the deficit to six (37-31) at the last break.
Having trailed by seven or more points for most of the game, the Bombers made it 39-35 early in the fourth quarter.
But Edenhope Apsley steadied the ship, with crucial turnovers from their defenders and midcourt, and calculated plays into the goal circle, creating five consecutive goals for the Saints.
Edenhope extended their lead to as much as 12 before finishing 10-goal winners.
For the Saints, centre Hayley Campbell and goal defender Olivia Spence stood out with their defensive playmaking, while Lambert and Fox scored 31 and 19 goals respectively.
Pay was the best performer in the Bombers' losing effort, consistently forcing errors as the goalkeeper, while Taya Quick impressed with her 28 goals.
Asked about her team's composed finish, Fox, Edenhope Apsley's coach, says focusing on their own processes and connections was critical in closing out the game.
"I was very pleased as the coach to see that and to be a part of that as well," Fox said.
"Coming off the back of the loss against Kalkee, a key focus for us was valuing possession a bit more and playing our style of game and our pace of game.
"In finals, there are big crowds, and there is a lot of nerves coming into the game as well. It can be hard to stay composed, but I was really proud of our ability to just trust the process and find one another.
“And I think the girls all really do believe in that, and it was very evident in those close moments where we'd got the intercept, reset it, and then we'd go forward and choose the safe option to hopefully get a goal."
Fox praised the performance of Olivia Spence, who has had a great season coming back from multiple years off due to injury.
"Olivia had an incredible game and just brought us so many turnovers, and also in crucial times for their momentum swings when we needed that intercept to really settle our team," Fox said.
"She's just an incredible story this year, coming back from the two-year ACL rehab.
"She started off getting on our team as a goal shooter, just trying to get some court time, and now she's re-evolved back into her incredible, pre-injured self.
"I was just so happy to see her dominating on the court and really owning that gold defence position."
Pleased with Sunday's victory, Fox says the team is focused on reversing the result of their qualifying loss to Kalkee in next week's preliminary final.
"I'm really proud of the girls to have been able to put together a strong four quarters and get the win," Fox said.
"For us, the job's not done yet. We definitely took the day to enjoy the win and that feeling, but now it's back to the drawing board, and we've got a challenge this weekend.
"At the end of the day, we want to be in that grand final, so we'll find a way to get a win."
