A preview of netball action in the Northern Football Netball League ahead of Friday night’s Section 5-8 grand finals.
All four grand finals will be played at Parade College this Friday August 31.
SECTION 5 – MACLEOD 1 VS CRAIGIEBURN 2
These two teams last met in the second semi finals, with Macleod 1 upsetting the minor premier with an impressive 13-goal victory.
Before the finals, the two sides clashed with Craigieburn coming out on top by 11 goals in Round 17, with the same result earlier in Round 10.
Early in the season, Macleod got the better of Craigieburn in Round 5 by 11 goals.
With both teams able to break free of the other, whichever team is able to settle into the match the quickest and capitalise on their opposition’s errors will come out on top.
Craigieburn endured a close match against West Ivanhoe in the preliminary final and will want to build on their form.
While Macleod will want to come out firing after having a week off.
The Section 5 Grand Final will be played this Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 9.30pm.
SECTION 6– LAURIMAR 2 VS HURSTBRIDGE 1
A tight semi-final battle between the two top sides in Section 6s in week one of finals saw Laurimar come away with a one-goal victory.
In Round 14, Laurimar edged out their opponents by a goal once again, however, their meeting in Round 7 saw Hurstbridge dominate by 30 goals.
Laurimar will enter the grand final refreshed after a week off, while Hurstbridge will take the court reignited after their six-goal victory against Bundoora in the preliminary final.
Given their recent thrilling encounters, the grand final is likely to be just as exciting on Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 8.30pm.
SECTION 7 – WHITTLESEA 1 VS MONTMORENCY 1
Minor premier Whittlesea will enter the grand final with a week off after beating Watsonia by seven goals in the second semi final.
Montmorency have fought their way into the grand final after drawing their semi-final with West Ivanhoe, then coming out on top by a goal in extra time. They then went on to beat Watsonia by six goals in the preliminary final.
Last time these two sides met in Round 16, Whittlesea won by 15 goals. Prior to Round 16, their Round 7 clash was much closer with Montmorency winning by five goals. The two teams also met in Round 2 of the season and in the end, with nothing separated them.
With both teams capable of beating the other, this match is likely to be another competitive encounter between the two when they meet on Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 7.30pm.
SECTION 8 – THOMASTOWN 3 VS GREENSBOROUGH 4
These teams have been two of the best all season in Section 8, with Thomastown heading straight into the grand final after their semi final clash saw them beat the minor premiers Greensborough by three goals.
Prior to finals the teams haven’t played each other since Round 10 when Thomastown beat Greensborough by 11.
In Round 4, Greensborough had the upper hand and won by seven.
Thomastown will want to build on their win against Greensborough in the semi-final and whether or not the will be able to beat the minor premiers again will be decided on Friday night at Parade College on court 1 at 6.30pm.
