Girgarre will be in the mix for a premiership when the Kyabram District League netball season starts this Saturday.
A host of local sides will be aiming for connection and consistency when the new Kyabram District League netball season begins this weekend.
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Girgarre is set to be the most likely to contend for a premiership in 2026, the side looking to put a defeat in the 2025 grand final to Shepparton East behind them.
The Kangaroos won the flag as recently as 2024, so success is nothing new, but they have had an off-season of change, being set to tackle the season with a few returning faces and recruits.
Player-coach Kim Hanratty said the defensive end would be an area of focus for her side, which she believed would be finals contenders once again this year.
“We’ve got strength in all areas of the court. Where we’ve had the movement, I’ve been able to find some players and bring some young ones up,” she said.
Girgarre hosts Lancaster in its first game of the season on Sunday, the action set to begin from 2.15pm at Girgarre Recreation Reserve.
The Wombats enter 2026 off the back of an 11th placed finish in 2025, though they did make it all the way to the grand final just two seasons ago.
That 2024 run has been the outlier recently for Lancaster, with coaches Raz Hilton and Jemma Hall simply targeting competitiveness in every game as the side’s main goal this time around.
“We’ve got a mixture of recruits, myself and Jemma are new, and we’ve got returning faces too ... to gel early will keep us competitive,” Hilton said.
Connection was a key word used by Hilton when discussing where Lancaster can improve, and that sentiment was similarly shared by Undera coach Amy Reid when discussing her side, the Lions stressing the importance of team unity in 2026.
Undera finished just below Lancaster in 12th last year, and haven’t finished any higher than 10th over the past four seasons.
Reid’s team faces Longwood at Longwood Recreation Reserve this Saturday, the action starting from 2.15pm, with the coach wanting her young side to use this season as an opportunity to develop and set high standards.
“I want to be able to look back at the end of the year and know we improved, competed, had high intensity and left the program stronger than the way we found it,” Reid said.
Undera is looking at season 2026 as an opportunity to build foundations for its netball program.
A coach who has certainly made her program stronger than how she found it is Rushworth’s Sheree Starling, who aided a complete transformation of the side in 2025.
The Tigers didn’t win a game in 2024 before progressing all the way to a preliminary final last year, narrowly missing out on an unprecedented grand final appearance in a three-goal defeat to Girgarre.
“We were pretty unlucky not to make the grand final last year. I think with the team we’ve got, if we can play well and shoot well, we’re certainly in the mix to win a flag,” Starling said.
Starling seems keen to ensure 2025 is a springboard for more success this year, and Rushworth’s first opportunity to lay down a marker will come on Sunday in a meeting with Stanhope, the action taking place at Stanhope Recreation Reserve from 2.15pm.
The Lions enter the new season having missed out on finals over the past three years, though they have hovered just outside the top six, placing seventh, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
Holly McPhee was another coach to mention on-court connection when discussing the side, which she believes has a unique strength in the players being passionate about succeeding for the club.
“Our main goal is to merge our current experience with the energy and talent of our next-generation players,” McPhee said.
“We have some loyal, talented players transitioning into the senior ranks, and we want to be able to give them the opportunity they deserve.”
Merrigum finished just above Stanhope in seventh last year, falling three wins short of a post-season spot, and the Bulldogs have also been in and around the finals positions in recent seasons.
Coach Blynda Tranter was clear in stating that finals is the goal for her side, which is also focused on building chemistry with new combinations in the team.
“They are a young bunch of girls, and their strength will come from their commitment and connection to each other,” Tranter said.
“Hopefully, what they lack in experience, they will make up for in athleticism and optimism.”
Merrigum begins its 2026 campaign this Saturday at Merrigum Recreation Reserve, taking on Murchison-Toolamba, with the action beginning from 2.15pm.
Merrigum last featured in the finals in 2022 when it finished sixth. Photo: Jordan Townrow.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Murchison-Toolamba, along with Violet Town and Longwood, will be looking to improve its win total in 2026, having all finished towards the bottom of last year’s ladder.
Elsewhere around the KDL, Shepparton East is the defending premier and will be the team to beat, having gone the entire 2025 season unbeaten, while Nagambie, Avenel, and Tallygaroopna should also be in contention come finals time.
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