Rushworth returned to the winners’ list in the Kyabram District Netball League by edging past Merrigum in round five.
Round five of the Kyabram District Netball League saw few surprising results, with the headline from the weekend’s action being that only one home side tasted victory.
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Rushworth edged Merrigum in a local clash and Lancaster thrashed Avenel, while Girgarre, Stanhope and Undera continued their difficult starts to the season by all losing heavily to Nagambie, Stanhope and Tallygaroopna, respectively.
RESULTS
Round five
Merrigum 32 lost to Rushworth 40
Avenel 33 lost to Lancaster 64
Girgarre 23 lost to Nagambie 61
Shepparton East 66 d Stanhope 12
Undera 16 lost to Tallygaroopna 67
Longwood 31 lost to Violet Town 46
Murchison-Toolamba bye
Merrigum and Rushworth faced off in a clash at Merrigum Recreation Reserve that saw an improving, undefeated Bulldogs outfit take on a Tigers side looking to bounce back from a first loss of the season last time out.
Rushy would rectify that round four defeat to Shepparton East with a well-fought win, edging Merrigum 40-32 to keep pace with the other contenders at the top of the ladder.
The Tigers currently sit fourth with a 3-1 record, just behind Nagambie and Lancaster on percentage, while a first loss of the year for Merrigum isn’t too detrimental, as Blynda Tranter’s side still sits in a finals spot in sixth.
The Bulldogs will face another contender this weekend in Nagambie as they aim to avoid consecutive losses, while Rushworth will look to start a new winning streak when it hosts Avenel.
Avenel v Lancaster
Lancaster named Ava Pell as best-on via its Facebook page as the Wombats thrashed Avenel.
Lancaster had emerged as a possible surprise contender this season across its opening four matches, a strong start continuing against Longwood in round four, while Avenel was handed its first defeat by Tallygaroopna after starting with two wins.
With both sides entering their round five clash with the same records, a tight encounter was expected, but the Wombats would make a statement at Avenel Recreation Reserve, thumping the Swans 64-33 in arguably the most eye-catching result from the weekend.
Lancaster is among the aforementioned sides with a 3-1 record four games into the season — currently sitting third — with the Wombats being particularly dominant in wins, having posted an average margin of just over 30 goals across their three victories.
Next up, Lancaster will be favoured in a home clash against ninth-placed Murchison-Toolamba, aiming to win and keep pace with undefeated league leader Shepparton East.
Girgarre v Nagambie
Girgarre’s slow start to the 2026 season continued with a heavy loss at home to Nagambie.
Last year’s runner-up Girgarre had yet to get going to start the 2026 season, as the Kangaroos entered a home clash against finals contender Nagambie with two defeats from their opening three matches.
A sluggish start would continue for the Kangaroos, who went down 61-23 in their heaviest defeat of the season so far.
With three to its name, Girgarre has already matched its total number of losses from the 2025 regular season after only four games, with Kim Hanratty’s side sitting down in 11th on the ladder.
The challenge to lift itself from the rough patch will not get any easier this Saturday, with Girgarre taking on unbeaten Shepparton East in a grand final rematch.
Shepparton East v Stanhope
Stanhope's winless start to the season continued against Shepparton East.
Stanhope travelled to Central Park Recreation Reserve to take on reigning premier Shepparton East, with the Lions facing a tall task given they had made a winless start to 2026.
The Eagles were the opposite — holding a perfect record — and they would make it four on the bounce with a dominant 66-12 victory, Stanhope suffering its heaviest loss since being handed a 59-goal deficit by the same opponent in round seven last year.
Though the Lions were not expected to beat Shepparton East, their winless run was still extended to four matches, and the side is seemingly on track for a slip down the ladder this year after finishing eighth in 2025, currently sitting bottom.
Stanhope will play Longwood at home on Saturday, the Redlegs being only a few spots above the Lions in 10th on the table and on their own three-game winless run.
Undera v Tallygaroopna
Like Stanhope, Undera was winless from its opening three matches and was faced with another challenging fixture in round five as finals contender Tallygaroopna visited Undera Recreation Reserve.
The Lions would prove no match for the Redlegs, going down 67-16 and posting their lowest score of the season in the process.
Undera finished 12th last year with only four wins, and its current 0-4 start has it in the same position on the ladder after five rounds, as the development of its young side arguably continues to take priority over results.
The Lions are on the road this weekend with a trip to an inconsistent Violet Town outfit.
The Towners were victorious in the other fixture that took place on Saturday, defeating Longwood 46-31 at Longwood Recreation Reserve.
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