Jemae Miller’s 15 goals for Kyabram’s Under 17 team against United on Saturday was not enough to influence a victory for the team which is not holding on to sixth spot on the Goulburn Valley League ladder.
Two Kyabram netball teams may not know whether they have secured a place in the Goulburn Valley League finals until the final curtain falls on their seasons in three weeks time.
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After losing to seventh-ranked Shepparton United by four goals on Saturday the Under 17 team is now only one game ahead of the Demons inside the top six.
In the final three weeks of the season the Bombers face tough assignments against the top two teams - Shepparton and Mooroopna - and also face eighth-ranked Seymour.
Fortunately United does not have a simple end to its season, facing the third and fifth ranked teams (Shepparton Swans and Rochester), along with 11th-ranked Tatura.
Kyabram should finish with eight wins and if results go to plan United will finish on seven wins. In the event of the teams finishing on the same amount of wins United would advance to the finals because of its superior percentage (seven per cent higher than the Bombers).
In the B Reserve competition a 20-goal win for Kyabram against ninth-ranked United has the Bombers sitting one game outside the top six in seventh spot.
Shepparton Swans are sixth and have a marginally better percentage than the Bombers with three rounds to play.
Kyabram faces first, third and tenth in those games, while the Swans face the third, eighth and 10th-ranked teams. Unless there are some upsets it will be difficult for the Bombers to qualify for the finals.
The Bombers remaining teams - A-grade, B-grade and Under 15 - cannot reach the finals this season.
Rose Cunningham shot eight goals in the final quarter for the Under 17 Bombers, but it was not enough to influence the final result in Kyabram’s favour.
– Saturday’s A-grade game was a low scoring affair between the Bombers (11th with one win) and United (eighth, seven wins for the season).
Apart from the second term, when United scored 13 goals to Kyabram’s nine, there was nothing in the game. The combined total of the remaining three quarters was 17-apiece.
The low scoring match saw United win 30-26, just seven goals scored in a final term that was dominated by defensive play.
Jayda Richardson played a half at goal keeper, replacing Monique Williams at half time, combining with winger Steph Higgins and the consistent Abby Waasdorp to finish as the Bombers’ best players.
That was the only change the Bombers made for the entirety of the match.
Natasha Dodos finished with 20 of the team’s 26 goals.
– The B-grade game was similarly close, but the Bombers produced arguably its best result of the season to claim a fourth win for 2024.
United had four more wins than Kyabram for the year going into the game, but 22 goals from Micaela Herbert in the opening half secured the Bombers a five-goal lead.
Herbert finished with 41 goals as the Bombers won the game 51-45, an entertaining second half featuring a 26-25 scoreline in favour of Kyabram.
Jayda Richardson started her day as she finished it, brilliantly defending the opposition in partnership with Grace Kilpatrick and Rachel McCormack-Vick.
The Bombers made only one change during the game, with Hannah Newman working in tandem with Herbert to produce the winning score.
– Rachel McCormack and Maddie Hamilton dominated the mid-court on Saturday to guide B Reserve to a brilliant win on the back of a 27-16 first half.
Tearna Filbey was the pick of the defensive unit, working with Taleera Depasquale and Shani Clark to restrict United to just eight third quarter goals.
At the opposite end Elli Kiker helped herself to 11 goals (35 for the game) as the Bombers went into the last quarter with a 19-goal lead and went on to win 55-35.
Only one goal separated the teams in the final quarter when Tawnee Vocale came onto the court in the only change of the afternoon.
– Stella Trezise and Grace Burnett did their best to restrict United’s goalers to a losing score in the Under 17 clash, but the Bombers were unable to convert enough opportunities to lock in a finals spot.
The team trailed by four at quarter time, but by just three at half time as a low scoring second term saw just 13 goals scored.
Ava Pell worked hard in the centre as the Bombers were outscored by just one goal in the second half to eventually lose by four, 31-35.
Again, only one change was made to the starting outfit for the team, with Rose Cunningham’s eight goals in the final term a highlight (16 for the game).
– A horror start to the Under 15 game saw Kyabram face a 12-goal deficit at quarter time and the side never recovered.
In the final three quarters the Bombers won the game by three goals, but the damage was done and they lost 29-38.
After quarter time Ella Hoopert shot 21 goals (26 for the game), while the three Mias (Stockdale, Lyons and Kilpatrick) were all fine contributors in the mid-court and attack.
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