The NFNL 15&U and 17&U representative netball teams contested phase one the Netball Victoria Association Championships last Sunday.
Association Championships serves as a pivotal stage in the Netball Victoria player, umpire and coaches’ pathway, giving athletes and coaches across the state the compete against each other in front of Victorian Talent Identifiers.
Over 180 Victorian netball associations and leagues compete against each other in their respective regions, before the finalists of each region’s championship divisions meet again, in June, to battle it out for the state title.
Competing in the Central West region, the NFNL 15&U and 17&U teams impressed across the day, battling wild weather at Riverside Sports Centre.
Photos from the day can be viewed on the Field of View Photography website here.
15&U Reserve Results
Our 15&U Reserves started the day with an impressive 18-1 goal win over Sunbury NA, before meeting a determined Craigieburn NA outfit where the teams couldn’t be split, walking away with a -ten-goal-apiece draw.
The winning results continued as the team took away wins against Nillumbik Force NA (12-4), Geelong Central NA (14–6) and St Albans/Caroline Springs NA (15–11).
Facing their first loss in Round 6 to a ladder leading Altona NA, and then to Darebin NA, the 15&U Reserves had a hard-fought ending to the day, with 3 more losses, ultimately finishing the tournament in third position with 32 points.
15&U Championship Results
The Championship team started the day with a narrow loss to Altona NA, a team that would be a familiar opponent throughout the day.
They powered through and secured a one-goal win in Round 2 against Geelong Central NA (14–13) and continued their hot form through Rounds 3 to 8, seeing them take away wins against Northern Pride NA (15–5), Geelong FNL (18–7), Bacchus Marsh NA (22–3), Albans/Caroline Springs NA (15–8), Bellarine FNL (13–10) and Banyule District (13–7).
Finishing the round robin format in 2nd position, the team took on Hoppers Crossing NA in a tight semi-final, coming away with the win 13–10.
Returning to the court against their Round 1 opponents for the Grand Final, the Championship team showed grit and determination after a long day in hard conditions. Despite falling just short 11–15 to Altona NA at the final whistle, the Championship team secured their place in Finals Day.
They will return to the courts on Sunday 21st June at the State Netball Centre.
17&U Reserve Results
The 17&U Reserve team had a tough pool, starting the day with 3 losses.
A bye in Round 4 provided a chance to regroup and the players came out to take their first win of the day in the next round against Nillumbik Force NA (10–7).
The team backed up their Round 5 performance, taking two more wins for the day, defeating Sunbury NA (17–6) and Essendon District (18–6). Finishing the day in fourth position with 12 points, the Reserves showed great character and ended the day of competition on a positive note.
17&U Championship Results
The 17&U Championship team started the day with a bang, defeating Darebin NA by an impressive 13 goals, 17–4. They followed that win with 4 close games, beating Merri-Bek NA (12–11), Parkville Netball (10–9), Bellarine FNL (12–10) and Northern Pride NA (14–6), whilst a mid-day slip saw them going down narrowly to Hoppers Crossing NA (9-8).
With 24 points, the team finished second in their pool and met a highly competitive Banyule NA in the semi-final. The exciting game saw our NFNL netball talent on show, competing strongly against Banyule, unfortunately going down 9–6.
The 13&U Reserve and Championship squads will represent the NFNL next weekend, as they take on other Central West Associations and Leagues on Sunday 24th May.
