It was a disappointing final round of matches for Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland netball, losing all seven matches to Lucknow at the Lucknow Recreation Reserve.
Despite the losses, the under 13 and 17 teams will still play in the finals, rewarded for consistent seasons in the home and away matches.
The under 17s will play Wy Yung at the Bairnsdale City Oval in Saturday’s qualifying final, while the under 13s will play Lindenow in a do-or-die elimination final at the same venue on Sunday.
In the “A” grade match, the Magpies found it easy to get the ball in the first term, as the Seagulls struggled to convert some solid opportunities, opening up a 18-11 break by quarter time, with Lakes reverting to playing catch-up and trying to stem the flow.
The Seagulls battled hard, but were no match for the premiership-contending Magpies, who won 64-38, with Clodagh Newton, Chloe Watson and Poppy Carroll among the best for Lakes Entrance.
It was another tough assignment in “B” grade, as were all seven matches on the day, with the Magpies making it through to the finals in season 2025 in all seven grades.
Lakes battled hard, playing four consistent quarters, with some solid patches of outstanding teamwork, but just found Lucknow that five or six goals better every quarter, as they won impressively 54-30.
Bec Rotheram, Pariss McKendry and Chloe Watson battled hard for the Seagulls.
In “C” grade, the quick ball movement of the Magpies was pivotal in their enormous 67-22 win, the Seagulls sticking to the difficult task at hand, with their coaching staff of the opinion that the final score wasn’t a true reflection of their efforts and how well they played as a team.
Tilly Richardson, Verity Jakins and Alicia Friend never conceded an inch in a tough final match for the season.
Restricted to only two goals in the first half, the Seagulls worked hard and reaped the benefits in the second half of the “D” grade match, eventually going down 42-12.
The girls put together some awesome passages of play in the second half, showcasing how far they have come as a team.
Haylee McKinnon and Ginger Svetlik were among the better players for the Seagulls.
In the under 17s, the Seagulls suffered just its second loss for the season, surprisingly both have been against the fourth-rated, Lucknow, who obviously match up very well against the competition’s measuring stick.
The breaks went the way of the Magpies, who closed out the match strongly 31-24.
Tulli McLeod, Bonnie Rotheram and Lucy Carroll were steady performers for the Lakes Entrance, who will be hoping that they can turn their form around quickly, and book a grand final spot as early as this Saturday.
It was goal-for-goal early in the under 15s, the unbeaten Magpies wrestling the ascendancy late in the first term, on the way to a 33-17 victory.
The Seagulls were competitive for all four quarters, with Charlie Richardson and Sadie Stevens prominent.
It wasn’t an ideal finals preparation for the under 13s, outclassed by the second-placed Magpies, who got off to a great start and couldn’t be caught, running out 42-14 easy winners.
Lacey Lee, Violet Lyon and Haddie McLeod tried their best for Lakes Entrance.
