The Western Border Netball Association has returned from the 2021 SA Country Championships with three of the four titles, successfully defending the A Grade, 17 & Under and 15 & Under titles it secured in 2019.

The 17 and Under team secured a six goal victory over  the KNTNA, capping off a stunning, undefeated tournament.

 The KNT got the better of the first half but the young Western Border side, coached by senior grand final hero, McGregor, refused to let this game slip.

Caeleigh Humphries and Portia McRae stepped up the defensive effort in the second half and won back plenty of  ball, helped by the tight defensive efforts of Tara Bryant and  Ellie Bouchier through the mid court.

Bryant was also pivotal in attack as she combined well with wing attack Lucy Denton to deliver some precise ball into  Amryn Bosko and Sarah Ritter, with both finishing accurately.

 The 15 & Under championship winning team, coached by  Karen Gould, entered the title decider against long time rival in this age group – Riverland – on the back of only one loss for the weekend, a one goal loss to the KNTNA.

Lille Paul was outstanding in the title decide at wing attack, not just with her attacking play but her ability to win ball back defensively.

The Western Border side had a sloppy opening half and  the Riverland appeared in control as uncharacteristic errors  crept into the 15 & Under team’s play.

But the girls knuckled down in the second, with Macey Griffith feeding Annelise Janssen with precision and defenders Stella Mobbs and Lauren Van Eeden finding themselves in better position to create turnover ball.

Ella Easterby also added  some bite to the defensive  effort with her pace and willingness to contest on the defensive  wing.

In the end, it was another nailbiter, with a one goal win as the Riverland ran out of time to transition a late turnover into their shooting circle.

The 13 & Under Championship team, coached  by Rosie Collins, who experienced huge success as a player  for the association, played off for the division two title and finished runner-up, recovering from a tough opening day to put together a string of great results.

Western Border also sent two development teams with the Ellie Gould coached 15 & Under team making the semi finals of division three and the 13 & Under team surprising everyone by securing a spot in division one based on their day one results and finishing in the  top 10 teams for the championships.