The final round of the Gippsland League home and away season saw Bairnsdale pitted against Morwell, with the Redlegs junior teams dominant with comfortable wins while the senior teams
fell short.
The Redlegs have progressed through to the finals in “A” grade and the under 17s. The senior team set to play in this Sunday’s elimination final at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve against Drouin.
The under 17s will kick off their finals campaign against Sale this Saturday at the Maffra Recreation Reserve in the qualifying final.
Bairnsdale were slow to start in “A” grade and found themselves playing catch up.
At times the Redlegs’ pressure made it difficult for Morwell in a highly physical game where both teams gave it their all.
But it was a Tigers who got the breaks winning 40-35. Alison Dwyer, Jordan O’Connor and Sophie Scott led the way for Bairnsdale.
Anna Mooney (21 goals) and Sally Deller (14) were active in the goal area.
There was no fairytale finish of consecutive wins for the Redlegs in “B” grade. They still gave an excellent account of themselves but didn’t quite get over the line against a stronger Morwell team.
The Tigers were impressive 63-52 victors, with Charli Young, Brielle Malady and Indira Allen continuing their good form for Bairnsdale, while Remy Clarke (31) and Mia Ballinger (15) also impressed in goals.
In “C” grade the Redlegs crashed out of the finals race when they went down to the top side. Morwell got off to a quick start and although the Redlegs showed true grit they could not reduce
the margin.
The end margin (53-32) was still a huge improvement from the last time these two teams met, but it was still a disappointing end to the season for the girls who just missed finals.
Mikayla Shaw, Annora Virgo (19) and Danielle Johnson all battled hard for Bairnsdale, with Tiana Andrews shooting 11 goals.
The Bairnsdale under 17s rebounded strongly from their first loss of the season last week, smashing the Tigers 70-14.
The win featured commanding defence and intercepts galore, resulting in the avalanche of goal scoring with Ballinger (25), Ava Langley (29) and Olivia Pearson (16) cashing in alongside outstanding contributions from Heidi Allen and
Kiara Irish.
The under 15 team, which missed the finals by just two goals, finished the season on a high by outclassing the Tigers (40-5).
It was a sensational finish to the season with all players showing what they are capable of when they get it right.
Macy Brodribb, Emme Hadden and Morgan Soulsby led the way, with Lily Fullgrabe the leading scorer with 16 goals.
Bairnsdale finished the season in sixth place in the under 13 competition, ending on a winning note by skilfully accounting for a persistent Morwell, 32-19.
The young Redlegs showed great resilience in their final game, playing a standard of netball that showed improvement and the talent pool within the club.
Violet Cloak, Halle Davis (18) and Piper Crawley wrapped up the season in premium form, while Sharni Kelly again shot accurately with 14 goals.
