We’ve now reached the halfway mark of the Cleaning Melbourne Premier Division winter netball season, so let’s take a look at how teams have gone so far.
Division 1
North Heidelberg continues to reign supreme, claiming the top two positions on the ladder with Whittlesea following in third. Diamond Creek is hot on their tails in fourth with Banyule in fifth and Heat winless in sixth.
In what is arguably the upset of the season, North Heidelberg 2 defeated team 1 by 15 goals in Round 3, but team 1 sit superior on goal differential with a massive 183% in goal difference. Usual suspects Alyssa Pearse, Bec Colwell (60 goals in Round 5) and reigning Cleaning Melbourne Premier Division 1 Best and Fairest Kirra Park are having absolute blinders for the Bulldogs. They currently sit on top of the ladder with seven wins and one loss.
Bree Florence and Ava Tarau are having stellar seasons with Jenna Calabrese adding a spark, making the Bulldogs an unpredictable and exciting team to watch this season. North Heidelberg 2 sit second on the ladder with six wins, one loss and one draw.
Whittlesea have proven that they have what it takes to defeat the top sides with an impressive 18-point win over Diamond Creek, but they share the bragging rights with Banyule, with each side taking a two-point victory in both of their meetings. All-rounder Abbie Barnes is having another standout season, causing headaches all over the court with her partner in crime, Chylah Rogers. Ella Tennant has also steadied her side with the experienced head pushing her team forward in tough moments with the Eagles accumulating four wins and four losses this season.
A different looking side for Diamond Creek this season isn’t evident by the seamless netball they’ve been producing. Their biggest challenge came in Round 4 which saw the Creekers draw 55 all with North Heidelberg 2. The loss of Emmalia Blake due to injury has made an impact, but the recruitment of Chloe Terpos and Hetty Donoghue adds youth and a high-level of netball experience in their skillset. Diamond Creek currently have three wins, four losses and a draw.
After making history last year being promoted into Division 1 after their first season in the league, Banyule have struggled to reflect their efforts then into this season. They dropped only one game in the semi-final last year and kicked into gear to win the Division 2 premiership, but that success hasn’t translated. Despite racking up only three wins this season alongside five losses, the Ellis sisters, Madi and Grace, have shown consistency in the Bears midcourt. Ngahuia Stephens has also been impressive in the goal circle.
Heat has had a difficult season to say the least, winless after eight rounds. Their closest loss so far this season has been by three goals against ladder leaders North Heidelberg 2, which saw Tahnysha Salanoa impress while averaging 24 goals a game. Chloe Wheaton and Jess Kerr have also been impressive for Heat this season in what is a shining light for them in 2026.
Division 2
There’s a significant gap between the top two and the rest of the competition with North Heidelberg 3 and Hume 1 sitting in the top two. The only thing separating third from sixth though is one win with Greensborough 1 and Montmorency 1 rounding out the top four.
The Bulldogs aren’t afraid to pull out all the stops with their recruitment in the off-season impressing, seeing the likes of shooting duo Ava Verrier and Molly Grace come into the fold with an already established partnership. Lily Lazzaro has also been steady in their midcourt in the teams eight wins. North Heidelberg’s most commanding win came in Round 8, taking the game by 25 goals against Bundoora.
Hume is another consistent presence, always appearing in finals with a similar list each year. Most of their players play together outside of Hume, so their connections would be difficult to break. Stalwart of the club Rebekah Konstantopoulos makes the Hume attack look seamless, linking up alongside Ebony Leech and Dakota Lister who returned from a long-term injury this year, not missing a beat in the process. Hume have only lost one game, which was to the Bulldogs by 14 points in Round 7.
Greensborough is slowly gaining momentum heading into the second half of the season. The Borough has had a couple of close losses, with only one being by more than five goals, which came against ladder-leaders North Heidelberg. Even though Greensborough are sitting third, they’ve really tested the likes of Hume, but have also been pressured by Fitzroy Stars, Montmorency and Watsonia. Crystal Phillips’ influence in attack has been seamless while Ella Barnes and Tahlia Mcleish have also been key.
Another team that’s had a very similar list the last couple of seasons is Montmorency, highlighted by Danielle Vickery-Howe, Morgan Jones, Aleigha Walters and Holly Denholm. The Magpies have had three close losses and a 13-point win over Fitzroy Stars. There’s really no predicting who wins some of these games with the middle of the ladder so tight. With two close losses by three goals or less in Rounds 4 and 5, Montmorency need to prove that they can persevere and claim the four points to progress up the ladder in a push for finals.
It’s been somewhat of an unpredictable season for Kinglake who continue to go back-and-forth between wins and losses. Danielle Mair has been solid under the post for the Lakers, already slotting 193 goals in seven outings, her best against Watsonia in Round 5 with 37 goals. Mair is the highest goal scorer in Division 2, the next best 29 goals behind her. Kinglake’s game last weekend was an area of improvement, drawing with Hume 38 apiece. Now, it’s a matter of maintaining that consistency as they come up against third placed Greensborough.
Three of Watsonia’s losses were determined by five goals or less, but their two wins have been dominant, defeating Bundoora by 34 goals in Round 2. There’s been some standouts for the Saints this year with Teah Ryan and Nicole Bennett impressing. Watsonia’s next two games are winnable, so it’s a matter of if they put their foot down to push up the ladder, or let the other teams slip away from a team that’s very capable.
Bundoora have had a shaky start to the season with only one win under their belt. That win was in Round 4 against the Fitzroy Stars by six goals. The Bulls can be unpredictable though, with the rotating circle of Emily Duggan and Steph Tucker, opposing defenders never know who to cover with the shooters sharing the load at the post.
Division 3
It’s an even looking ladder in Division 3 with Heat reigning supreme, quickly followed by Thomastown. North Heidelberg and Hurstbridge follow with four wins each to round out the top four.
Having just dropped one game this half of the season, Heat sit steady as the Division 3 ladder leaders. Funnily enough, they actually haven’t lost a game yet. Heat had a 31 all draw against North Heidelberg in Round 5 so in their, and many others, books, they’re still undefeated. This could easily be broken though before they know it with Thomastown and North Heidelberg hot on their tails.
Next week is going to be a massive hit out for Thomastown as they face Heat who sit at the top of the table. These last two sides met back in Round 1 and it was Heat who came out victors by two goals. Since then, the Bears have had dominant wins and a loss they’d rather forget about. Having only dropped two games so far, Thomastown can be proud of what they’ve produced this season. They have leading goal scorer Ruby Sommerville (126 goals) who’s been clutch in games with their closest win being by five goals against North Heidelberg in Round 3.
North Heidelberg began its campaign with a bye, quickly followed by a one-goal win over Hurstbridge. Since then, it’s been up and down with two significant wins, a draw with Heat and a couple of close losses. They have the best percentage out of all teams, 135.06%, showcasing that when they cough up a loss, it’s by small deficits and their wins are by big margins. The Bulldogs have an element of unpredictability with their shooting sharing an equal load as shooters Anabelle Farquhar (107) and Elsie Pullybank (102) sit third and fourth for goals scored. North Heidelberg are one of two teams in Division 3 who have three byes, really enforcing how integral every game is and how much the Bulldogs need to cherish their place in the top four.
It’s been a bit of an unusual season for Hurstbridge, with amany expecting them to dominate. The calibre of talent in the team is outstanding with multi-time Team of the Year player and reigning NFNL Division 3 MVP winner Casey Lashford the marquee player for the Bridges. Hurstbridge have performed well against teams like North Heidelberg and Heat, falling short in both games by one and two goals. The Bridge’s biggest win came in Round 7 against second placed Thomastown, coming out 16-goal victors.
Just sitting outside of the top four, South Morang have claimed fifth position, but have played one less game than everyone else. The Lions have three byes this season, so every game matters even more for South Morang who have to continue winning to challenge for a finals position. They’re one of two sides in Division 3 who have three byes this season.
Whittlesea has racked up just one win on the board, coming at the expense of Bundoora, as the Eagles sit sixth on the ladder. Their closest loss came in Round 8 by eight goals against the ladder leaders in Heat. Just goes to show that anyone can beat anyone in Division 3. Whittlesea are capable of getting another win, possibly two, on the board.
It’s a season full of struggle for Bundoora who currently sit at the bottom of the ladder in seventh with no wins and a percentage of 47.03%. Its highest score of the season has just been 25 which was against Whittlesea who sit just one spot above them on the ladder. That game was also their closest margin of 11 goals. It’s tough to see the Bulls come out with a win this season, but their best chance would be up against Whittlesea.
