A preview of Friday night’s Sections 1-4 netball grand finals, which round out the 2018 NFNL season.
All four grand finals will be played at Parade College this Friday September 7.
SECTION 1 – DIAMOND CREEK 1 VS NORTH HEIDELBERG 1
Diamond Creek is on the hunt for an incredible ninth-consecutive Section 1 premiership after another dominant season.
The last time these sides both met in Round 17, Diamond Creek controlled the match for four quarters and won by eight goals.
Their previous meetings also both went the way of the Creekers with the Bulldogs going down by 13 goals in Round 12, two in Round 7 and 33 in Round 4.
The minor premiers Diamond Creek will go into the grand final as favourites having only lost one game all season and powering through to the grand final after winning their second semi-final against Greensborough.
After finishing third on the ladder North Heidelberg will be wanting to prove they can beat the best with the grand final the perfect stage for them to do it on.
The Bulldogs bring in confidence after winning their first semi final over Heidelberg, before downing Greensborough by three goals in last week’s preliminary final.
The Section 1 Grand Final will be played this Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 9.45pm.
SECTION 2 – DIAMOND CREEK 2 VS IVANHOE 1
Sitting in the top-two spots on the Section 2 ladder following the home and away season, minor premier Diamond Creek takes on second-placed Ivanhoe.
The two sides last faced off in the opening week of the finals, with the Creekers winning the second semi by 14 goals.
The last time Ivanhoe beat Diamond Creek was in Round 3 by nine goals.
Their other meetings saw the Creekers win by three goals in Round 17 and 16 goals in Round 10.
The week off may play in favour of Diamond Creek, with Ivanhoe coming off from a tight match against the Fitzroy Stars in the preliminary final.
The grand final will be decided on Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 8.45pm.
SECTION 3 – BUNDOORA 1 VS WATSONIA 1
The two best teams all season in Section 3 will go head to head for the premiership on Friday night.
Bundoora prevailed over Watsonia by 14 goals in the second semi final a fortnight ago.
In Round 17 the Comets won again by 13, however, their Round 10 clash came down to the wire, with Bundoora only winning by two.
Their first meeting this season was the last time Watsonia won this fixture, when it prevailed back in Round 1 by nine goals.
Despite Bundoora having the week off, Watsonia will carry some momentum into the decider after a 16-goal win over Heat in last week’s preliminary final.
Friday night’s Section 3 grand final will be played out on court 1 at Parade College at 7.45pm.
SECTION 4 – ST MARY’S 2 VS GREENSBOROUGH 3
St Mary’s and Greensborough meet in the Section 4 grand final, after both sides advanced following wins over minor premier Watsonia during the finals series.
Finishing second on the ladder following the home and away season, St Mary’s booked the first spot in the grand final after defeating Watsonia by a goal in a thrilling second semi final a fortnight ago.
Greensborough find themselves heading into the grand final after finishing fourth on the ladder. They defeated third-placed Heidelberg in the first semi final by 30 goals and then beat the minor premiers by eight goals last week.
Neither side will want to underestimate the other in this match. Despite Greensborough finishing lower than St Mary’s on the ladde, they’ve come out on top against them twice this season with a 10-goal victory in Round 17 and four-goal win in Round 8.
St Mary’s will need to put their past meetings with Greensborough behind them to beat them on the big stage. Their one-goal victory against Watsonia in the semi final should help them to keep their cool under pressure if the match goes down to the wire.
The two sides will battle it out in the grand final on Friday Night at Parade College on court 1 at 6.45pm.
