Elsewhere, Rushworth and Girgarre locked in their appearances in the 2025 finals series with victories over Avenel and Merrigum, respectively.
The Lions travelled to Murchison Recreation Reserve to face off against the lower-seeded Grasshoppers, with the game coming down to the wire.
With both teams still in with a sniff of finals before the match, neither wanted to say goodbye to its season.
Ultimately, it was Stanhope that got its nose in front at the death to record a thrilling two-goal victory in enemy territory.
The final score was 39-37.
Round 15 essentially marks the end of Murch’s season, while the Lions live to fight another day, with anything short of perfection in their last two games likely to cost them a trip to the finals.
Stanhope has a mixed bag of match-ups the rest of the way, with fifth-place Tallygaroopna in round 16 before wrapping up its season with Lancaster in round 18 after a bye.
Rushworth v Avenel
The Tigers will finish in the top four after a win over sixth-place Avenel. But can they climb any higher?
The short answer is, yes they can.
They are now level with Girgarre (11-3) on the ladder with two games left, including a head-to-head clash in round 17, which should decide each team’s seed barring an upset in each team’s other match.
Rushworth flexed its muscles and proved that it belongs in the top four after beating fellow finalist Avenel by seven goals in round 15.
The final score was 41-34.
Following a bye in round 16 and the match against Girgarre, the Tigers will close out their home-and-away campaign against Undera.
Girgarre v Merrigum
A convincing outing in Merrigum was enough for the Kangaroos to hold on to third position as the end of the 2025 home-and-away season draws near.
While the Bulldogs put up a fight in round 15, it was the defending KDL netball champions that won the day by 14 goals.
The final score was 43-29.
The Kangaroos should get a win in round 16 when they host Murchison-Toolamba before ending their season against Rushworth, with a week’s rest before finals giving them time to game plan and gear up for the pointy end of the competition.
Meanwhile, Merrigum is unlikely to sneak into the finals following the loss, not only would it need to beat Lancaster and Shepparton East in its last two games, but it would need other results to go its way.
