Lancaster star Caddison Mulholland’s opening seven rounds of the season have catapulted her to the top rung of the A-grade competition’s Top-10 players.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Unbeaten ladder-leader Lancaster faces the toughest month of its 2024 A-grade Kyabram District netball season in June and July, confronting four of the top six teams in successive weeks.
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This weekend the Wombats, the only team to have won all seven games this season in the 14-team competition, face fourth-ranked Violet Town. A week later they meet second-ranked Girgarre, then have Dookie United (fifth) and Avenel (sixth) in successive weeks.
Of the current top six Avenel is the team most under pressure, involved in a three way battle for what looks like being the last spot in the finals - albeit still nine weeks until the play-off action.
KDL TOP 10 NETBALLERS 2024
1. Caddison Mulholland (Lancaster)
2. Erin Hopkins (Stanhope)
3. Holly Nelson (Girgarre)
4. Sarah Maskell (Shepp East)
5. Chicquita Vick (Lancaster)
6. Gemma O’Sullivan (Dookie United)
7. Sharni Lloyd (Nagambie)
8. Bec Rendina (Shepp East)
9. Charlotte Thomas (Murchison-Toolamba)
10. Teah Ryan (Girgarre)
*Honourable mentions to Jo Wild (Violet Town); Cassie Westley (Lancaster); Jacqui Gahan and Libby Pangrazio (Girgarre);
They have Nagambie and Stanhope hot on their heels in the pursuit of featuring in the September action.
Shepparton East and Dookie United are perennial finalists in the KDL competition, while the only team to have really dropped off the pace in 2024 is Tallygaroopna.
The Redlegs sit 10th on the ladder with just two wins from seven games.
Erin Hopkins (left) with sister Laura after playing in a Stanhope A grade grand final win a decade ago. She has returned to the Lions this season.
Photo by
Julie Mercer
Lancaster has gone from finishing 11th last season, with a five win-11 defeat season, to clearly lead the competiton.
Any wonder, when we asked some of the competition’s coaches and officials, who they considered the outstanding performers of the season there were consistently three Wombat names in the lists.
Just like we did with the senior football competition, opinions were sought from some of the best minds in the top netball division.
Chicquita Vick, Phillipa Inglis and Caddison Mulholland were the three players acknowledged as keys to the meteoric rise of Lancaster this season.
Vick’s goal shooting exploits have been celebrated this season, while defender Inglis and mid-court star Mulholland have complemented her work.
There was an even spread of names from the remaining teams, but one name that regularly popped up was returning Stanhope star Erin Hopkins.
Stanhope sits seventh on the ladder, having won its last four games after losing to Lancaster (top), Girgarre (second) and fifth-ranked Dookie United in the opening three weeks - a horror draw as it turns out to start the season.
In the last month they have beaten Avenel, Violet Town and Tallygaroopna, along with a 50-goal win against third from the bottom Undera.
Nagambie bookends Michelle Williams (defence) and Sharni Lloyd (attack) were on most lists, while Dookie United shooter Gemma O’Sullivan, Murchison’s Emily Wood and Jo Wild (Violet Town) were also regularly rated in the top 10 players.
Girgarre, which won 12 games last season, had three players rated by opponents as Top-10 KDL players this year - winger Teah Ryan, centre Holly Nelson and defender Allana Adams.
Like Lancaster the Kangaroos have an extremely tough draw ahead if them. While they will be expected to easily account for second-bottom Longwood, they face Lancaster (top), Violet Town, Dookie and Avenel in successive weeks (all top six teams).
