Netball
30 July, 2026
Vital clashes ahead as finals race heats up
Round 16 of the Horsham District Football Netball League A grade netball competition will see multiple teams vying for critical wins this Saturday, August 1, to keep their finals hopes alive.
Two such teams are Natimuk United and Harrow Balmoral.
The Rams moved into sixth spot last week with a 39-goal victory over the Swifts, and are less than two percentage points behind fifth-placed Pimpinio (both teams are on 28 points).
Coming out of the bye, the Southern Roos are one win behind, but are in an equally strong position with one extra game in hand.
Rams coach Danielle Hanson said both teams are in very similar spots, and identified a strong start as a necessity come Saturday.
“Harrow are going to be another tough game because I think they're in the same boat as us,” she said.
“We have to get a good start; we don’t want to be chasing our tail at all because we’ve both got nothing to lose really.
“We’re both fighting to make finals, and with four teams really fighting for that last spot, we’re going to go out there and throw everything at it.”
The Southern Roos enter with very strong form, having won five out of their last six.
Almost mirroring their opponents, the Rams have won four out of their last five as well, something the coach believes is indicative of their growth.
“We did something similar last year where we finished off really well and got wins against Laharum and Quanny later in the year,” Hanson said.
“We've found our feet towards the end of the year and obviously jelling a bit more as a team.
“We beat Kaniva, which we weren't expected to do, and even though we lost against Quanny, we were up and with them for most of the game.”
At Kalkee, Kaniva Leeor United will aim to revive their finals push as they meet an in-form Kalkee side.
The Kees can lock in fourth spot with a victory and will enter with plenty of confidence, having won seven out of their last eight games, including a 41-goal victory over Rupanyup in round 15.
Conversely, the seventh-placed Cougars have lost their last four games, with three of those coming by just two goals.
Cougars coach Kylie King said her team can use their recent setbacks to help them finish the season strongly.
“The biggest takeaway for us is that we're capable of matching it with the top sides,” she said.
“We've shown plenty of resilience and continue to improve, but we're also aware that we need to maintain that intensity for four quarters.
“There have been some disappointing losses recently where momentary lapses have allowed opposition teams to capitalise.
“Other situations have been entirely out of our control, so we just have to roll with the punches and continue to work hard.
“We're confident those setbacks can make us stronger moving forward.”
Despite their recent losses, the Cougars remain firmly in contention for a finals spot.
Although her team got the better of the Kees earlier in the season, the Cougars coach said her side is focused on the game ahead.
“While the earlier result can give us confidence, what happened earlier in the season doesn't guarantee anything this weekend,” King said.
“Our preparation has been focused on what we can control, continuing to improve our consistency, sticking to our structures and executing our game plan.
“If we do those things well for 60 minutes, I give us every chance.”
At Dock Lake, Taylors Lake and Rupanyup look set to play an absolute thriller after only one goal separated the two teams when they met in round five.
With both teams out of the finals race, the result is likely to determine who will finish ninth on the ladder.
At Edenhope, the Saints will look to return to form as they host the Swifts.
The Saints were defeated 40-30 by Noradjuha Quantong in round 15, but boast the second-best offence in the competition and scored 85 goals against the Baggies in their early-season matchup.