Glencoe secured the Mid South East Netball Association’s A Grade minor premiership on Saturday with a tight fought win over Mount Burr.

The Murphies finished just one point ahead of 2023 premiers Kalangadoo, who made light work of Nangwarry in the final home and away match.

Tantanoola consolidated fourth spot on the ladder with a win over Hatherleigh, while Port MacDonnell took the honours in the dead rubber against Kongorong.

Despite having the bye, Robe retained third spot on the ladder, finishing just one point ahead of the Tigers.

Glencoe v Mount Burr


In sunny conditions, Glencoe hosted Mount Burr for the final minor round. Both sides had things to play for, with a win to the Mozzies giving them a slim chance to make finals if the Eagles were to also down the Tigers, with a win to the Murphies earning them the minor premiership.

The game started goal for goal with both teams finding access to their focal goal shooters. Chantelle Cocks was holding strongly for the home side while Danika Shepherd was using her body well to open up the front space.

As the quarter progressed the Murphies’ defensive combination of Sarah Edwards and Cailtin Hentschke was able to force some turnover ball and give their team a slight advantage.

Ella Easterby proved to be the attacking playmaker for the Burr being a reliable option on the centre pass while Donna Jaeschke was carrying a large workload in attack for the Murphies.

The sun made its presence felt early, slowing down the play and forcing a more patient avenue to goal for both sides as they adjusted to the warm conditions.

The Murphies held their established lead heading into the first break with a slim 12 to 10 goal advantage.

The Mozzies upped the ante in the second quarter increasing their defensive pressure all over the court. The defensive combination of Megan Thiele and Olivia Dean caused some disruption to the Glencoe goal circle as they began to double team Cocks.

Jenna Paproth lifted her work rate for the Murphies finding more ball inside the circle but the hands pressure of the Mozzies was intense, forcing some inaccurate shooting from the Murphies goalies which was rebounded strongly by Dean.

Shepherd and Madi Haggett found some good connection in the goal circle and fed one another creatively to pick through the pressured defence of Edwards and Hentschke.

The Murphies continued to fight hard in attack but some defensive brilliance from Thiele got the Burr ahead by one goal going into the main break, with the Mozzies leading the Murphies 21-20.

Glencoe re-entered the game with intent to regain their lead. The Murphies attack line steadied under the leadership of Ashlea Pfitzner who worked hard to open up easy access to the circle’s edge and combined beautifully with Jaeschke to be patient and work their way through the long arms of the Mount Burr defence.

Cocks and Paproth also found some better rhythm and shot with great accuracy.

Easterby continued to use her pace to find the ball in attack for the Burr but the Mozzies struggled to penetrate the ball to post with Edwards and Hentschke lifting their defensive pressure and intercepting any passes that were not perfectly placed.

Nearing the end of the quarter the Burr swapped Haggett back to goal shooter and brought Shepherd out to goal attack in an attempt to open up the Glencoe defence.

The Murphies defence continued to stand tall and swung momentum heavily to Glencoe’s favour with a hard fought six goal turnaround to the Murphies to be up 33-28.

The final quarter was again marked by the defensive ends, led by both goal defenders Edwards and Thiele for their respective sides who applied strong defensive pressure and took some impressive intercepts to create some back and forth play.

Jaeschke continued to run hard in the middle for the Murphies and fed well into Cocks.

Some inaccurate shooting crept into the Burr goal circle and Hentschke was consistent on the rebound for Glencoe.

The Murphies stood tall in the final quarter and ran away with the win 46-39, securing the minor premiership.

Best players for Glencoe were Edwards and Jaeschke while Thiele and Easterby were the stand outs for Mount Burr.

Tantanoola v Hatherleigh


In hotter conditions than the players were accustomed, both teams started cautiously with several missed shots before finding their rhythm.

Tantanoola’s Emma Gould and Hatherleigh’s Elly Redden quickly became key figures in the match, each dominating the rebounds with Gould scoring the bulk of her team’s goals.

The Eagles faced a significant challenge with the absence of Kalli Nettle, a rising junior who had played a pivotal role in their previous encounter.

Early in the game, a clash resulted in Casey Walker leaving the court with a blood injury. This prompted a tactical shift for Tantanoola, with Shelby Ryan moving from wing defence to centre and the young Molly Cushion stepping into wing defence.

Hatherleigh demonstrated their adaptability by making a strategic shift later in the quarter as Maddie Redman transitioned from wing defence to goal keeper to counteract Gould’s strong positioning, while Demi Vanderhorst’s move to goal defence added pressure, particularly outside the shooting circle.

The first quarter was a closely contested battle, with Tantanoola holding a narrow lead of 10-8.

In the second quarter, while Tantanoola showcased their control and precision, Hatherleigh demonstrated impressive resilience.

Despite facing a well-organised and disciplined Tantanoola side, Hatherleigh’s strong defensive efforts and creative play kept them competitive, as they continued to challenge their opponents and create scoring opportunities.

Hatherleigh’s Lara MacGregor and Tantanoola’s Shelby Ryan provided crucial, reliable passing options for their respective teams, but the Eagles struggled to penetrate Tantanoola’s defence effectively.

Tantanoola’s ability to capitalise on scoring chances was a big difference and made the most of their opportunities.

Hatherleigh, on the other hand, was forced to take long-range shots, which proved challenging under the circumstances.

The Tigers’ swift movement, combined with their effective long passing, allowed them to build a solid lead of 28-14 by half time.

As the third quarter began, both teams demonstrated accurate shooting, with defenders having limited opportunities to rebound effectively.

Tantanoola made some substitutions with Keryl Ousey entering the game at goal keeper and Bella Poulish taking on the goal defence role, allowing Kate Bromley a well-deserved rest.

The Eagles moved Millie Smith into GK for Redman and Bree Harris and Redden swapped shooting positions.

Demi Vanderhorst continued to provide significant defensive pressure for Hatherleigh, creating several opportunities and making it difficult for Tantanoola to maintain their momentum. This, along with good transition from the visitors through Erin Watson and MacGregor, resulted in a 15-12 score for the quarter in favour of Tantanoola.

The game’s intensity increased in the final quarter as Poulish and Bromley applied solid defensive pressure, making it challenging for Redden and Harris to find accurate shooting opportunities.

The tigers extended their lead by an additional eight goals, showcasing their dominance throughout the match.

Emma Gould, who had been instrumental in their performance, left the court in the final minutes after a strong display, allowing Tantanoola to close out the game with a solid victory.

Tantanoola’s best were Shelby Ryan and Emma Gould, with Lara MacGregor and Demi Vanderhorst best on court for Hatherleigh.

Kalangadoo v Nangwarry


Kalangadoo hosted Nangwarry in the annual Mental Health game with both sides wanting to finish the last of the minor rounds successfully.

From the first whistle Kalangadoo maintained high intensity across all four quarters, demonstrating their experience.

Kalangadoo’s Ebony McDiarmid and Abbey Duncan moved well in the goal circle, with McDiarmid proving a focal point for the attack line with Duncan’s front cuts into the circle making them challenging to stop.

Despite this, Nangwarry’s defence led by Kayla Gray worked tirelessly to disrupt the flow with Gray’s long reach proving to be an asset, rebounding and applying pressure on the feeds into the circle with the support from Jemma Glynn and Tayla Marshall.

Kalangadoo’s mid court looked a little different with talented junior Georgia Gentile playing in the centre position with Jane Auld on the wing. Throughout the game they displayed precision passing and relentless work rate in their attack line with Auld and Gentile ensuring the Pies were able to capitalise on any extra opportunities given to them by the defence.

Nangwarry’s goal circle of Ebony Wurst and Sheridan Sakkers worked tirelessly finding their space, with Maddi Stephens and Alice Circelli feeding them accurately, allowing them to find their rhythm to convert their opportunities throughout the game.

The patience and work rate of Circelli and Stephens through the mid court allowed Nangwarry to maintain patience and control in their attack line.

However, despite their best efforts over the four quarters, Kalangadoo’s relentless pressure from Lara Munro, Georgia Duncan and Reanna Wetherall were able to force many turnovers and allow Kalangadoo to transition smoothly into attack.

Kalangadoo proved too strong for Nangwarry, taking out the win 83-21.

Kalangadoo’s Georgia Gentile Jane Auld were best on court for the victors, and for Nangwarry Sheridan Sakkers and Maddi Stephens took the honours.

Kongorong v Port MacDonnell


The last game of the round featured two young teams run it out in windy conditions as the Demons travelled down the road to play the Hawks at their home ground.

Both teams went hard at the ball in the first quarter of the game.

The early defensive pressure of Alana Berkfield combined with Emily Thompson had Port Mac working hard over the shot and driving any turnover ball down the court, working it to Megan Hein and Sophie Lewis on the attack line.

Hein and Cody Manning in the goal ring for the Demons settled into the game well, both sinking their opening shots.

The wind allowed plenty of rebounding opportunity which Berkefeld and Thompson, as well as the Hawks’ Rach Perry and Emily Lightbody, all capitalised on for their respective teams.

The momentum swung both ways during the opening quarter but the Demons were able to take a five goal lead heading into the first break.

Both sides remained unchanged in the second stanza and the defensive pressure from both sides continued.

The defensive combinations down each end of the court led the charge for both teams, setting the tone of high intensity and pressured balls across the court.

Zara VonStanke for the Hawks and Sophie Lewis for the Demons battled hard on their respective wings, both taking a huge amount of the attacking load down to their side’s scoring ends.

Kongorong looked to settle and see the scoring opportunities increase through the hard work of Lightbody and Perry and began to capitalise, working the ball down through Jasmin McKinnon and VonStanke into the shooting circle where Evie Sealey and Tilah Buckingham found some space and were able to convert for their side.

The Demons were able to continue ticking the scoreboard over, with Alysha Coon and Lewis driving the ball down with speed into their shooters.

The Hawks injected Paige Hicks into the game halfway through the quarter with fresh legs to try and curb the speed of the Demons’ attack line.

The battle was tight, with the Hawks winning the quarter and bringing the margin back to four at half time, down 20-24.

Both sides went into the third quarter with changes made as the Demons swapped Manning out to GA and Hein back to GS as well as Lewis into C and Coon into WA.

The Hawks also juggled their mid-court around, with Hicks into WA, Lawson to C and McKinnon back in WD.

The changes seemed to put a new run in the game, with the drives down the court and speed through the mid-court this quarter resulting in a high amount of scoring opportunities for both teams.

Thompson and Berkfeld capitalised on some critical rebounds in the ring and applied tight pressure to the young Kongorong mid court that was looking to settle into the quarter.

Manning made good use of the chance for a run in GA and fed well to a holding Hein under the post who shot 10 for the quarter.

VonStanke re-entered the game at WA and helped her side settle into the quarter, combining well with Sealey on the line and working the ball down through the Demons’ defence.

Port Mac outscored the Hawks 13-8 in the third term due to their back lines’ hard work, pushing the margin out to 12 heading into the last break.

Both teams continued to fight hard defensively up either end as the windy conditions persisted all day.

Holly Attiwill got the nod from the Hawks to start in WD for the fourth quarter to make her A Grade debut while the Demons line up remained unchanged.

The Bay looked to have more legs in them starting the last quarter, with Lewis and Manning holding up the running load for their side and Berkield and Thompson working hard defensively to provide plenty of opportunity to score.

Kongorong’s Perry and Lightbody at the defensive end were both working overtime for their side whilst capitalising on the rebounding opportunities and loose balls to give their side any opportunity to narrow the margin.

VonStanke and Sealey worked tirelessly through the middle for the Hawks, trying to match the leg speed and run of the Demons.

Port Mac again got a good look at the ball with their defensive pressure all down the court, producing multiple turnovers in the last quarter and creating a lot of scoring opportunity for their side in the last term.

The final margin was Port MacDonnell 52 to Kongorong’s 32.

Best players for Port Mac were Cody Manning and Sophie Lewis, while for Kongorong it was Rach Perry and Zara VonStanke.