Game face: Kyabram’s Jorja Wilson is focused on preventing an easy goaling circle entry for the Swans early in Saturday’s B-reserve elimination final at Rochester. A third-quarter lapse cost the team a chance of progressing further in the finals.
A dominant opening quarter by Kyabram’s under-17 netballers has them still in the hunt to repeat the premiership glory of the club from 20 years ago.
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In 2003-04 the Bombers won back-to-back under-17 Goulburn Valley League netball titles, led by modern-day coach Rhianna Hilton.
Hilton guided her team, on the back of a 40-goal effort from star goaler Natasha Dodos, to a 49-35 win against Echuca and will now tackle Mooroopna in another elimination semi-final at Tatura on Sunday morning.
Dodos shot 13 goals in an opening quarter where the Kyabram defensive trio of Jamae Miller, Stella Trezise and Taytem Messsenger allowed their opposition just six goals.
Miller moved forward in the second term and Charli Westerveld spent the remainder of the game in defensive goaling circle with Trezise, while captain Isla Carver spent her usual half in centre before joining Dodos in goals.
Kyabram used 10 players in the final, under-15 star Ava Pell on the quarter for a half and athletic mid-court player Abby Waasdorp taking over from Carver in the pivot.
Echuca responded to a 10-goal quarter-time deficit by outscoring Kyabram by five in the second term, before losing the second half 26-17 on the back of 23 Dodos goals.
Kyabram now has to overcome Mooroopna this weekend as, by finishing the season in fourth, it has to take the long road to a potential grand final.
Rebounding defender: Tennielle Peterson has eyes for an attacking teammate as she offers defensive support to the mid-court in the B-reserve final on Saturday.
• Kyabram’s under-15 season is over after it started its elimination final with Mansfield in impressive style at Benalla on Saturday.
Trailing by just one goal at quarter-time, on the back of six goals from Hannah Messenger, Kyabram was outscored by seven in the second term and never recovered.
Messenger shot another five goals in the third term as Ava Pell moved into goals alongside her, having spent the opening half in centre.
Kyabram eventually lost the match 39-24, despite the work of defenders Grace Kilpatrick and Miley Morris.
• A strong start and finish was not enough to make up for the third-quarter lapse of Kyabram’s B-reserve team.
Its eliminiation final opponent on Sunday, Shepparton Swans, took a while to shake the Bombers and just two goals separated the teams at half-time.
Kyabram won its place in the finals in sensational fashion after originally believing it had finished the season sixth, by a minute percentile, before GVL officials voided a final-round result and gave the Bombers a shot at finals glory.
After trailing by six goals at quarter-time, despite the seven-goal effort of captain Molly Carver, the defensive unit of Tori Walsyh, Tennielle Peterson and Courtney Mason kept the Swans to seven second-quarter goals.
Carver and Eliza Linehan shot 11 goals between them and the scene was set for a tense finish to the game. A 15-5 third term from the Swans, however, put the result out of reach and despite seven final goals from Carver (24 for the game) Kyabram lost 50-36.
Catch and release: Ebony Arnold picks out a teammate from a centre pass early in the match with Shepparton Swans. She was one of 10 players used by the Bombers in the elimination final.
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