Narrabri Netball Association will host its 2022 season grand finals at the Bev Burrows Courts this Saturday.
This year’s grand final day will be the first since 2019 after the 2020 season was abandoned and the 2021 season was cut short, both due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One team had already qualified for grand final day before last Saturday’s semi-finals and preliminary final, and then nine entertaining games determined who else would join them.
The 2022 campaign A-grade decider will be contested by Fever and Tourist Tornadoes following victories in their respective semi-final matches.
Fever edged out fourth-placed side Not Fast But Furious 29-27 to progress to the grand final. The minor premiers were pushed all the way until full time, but in the end they secured the two-point win that saw them qualify to play for another premiership.
Fever has won two of the last three A-grade grand finals and was also the runner-up in 2018.
Meanwhile, Tourist Tornadoes beat the second-placed Wee Waa Flames 42-35 to join Fever in this year’s grand final.
The A-reserve semi-finals were won by All Nets and Vicious and Delicious, which will now contest that division’s grand final.
The B-grade minor premiers All Nets prevailed by just two points as they downed the fifth-placed A-grade side Pharmacy Flamingos 23-21.
The other A-reserve semi-final was just as close as Vicious and Delicious overcame Golfie Grubs 30-28.
The B-grade matches were won far more comfortably as The Goats and Pretty Poison advanced to grand final day.
The Goats showed exactly why they had matched it with All Nets all year on the B-grade ladder and just missed out on a spot in the A-reserve finals as they defeated the fifth-placed B-grade side Win Diesel 36-12.
Pretty Poison proved it will be tough to beat in the decider as it outscored Blue Rebels 26-14.
The C-grade finals series saw only one match be played on Saturday as it featured three teams. One of those – the Wilga Warriors – advanced straight through to grand final day as it was the highest ranked of the three.
The other two teams competed in a preliminary final on Saturday, and it was Hot Shots that got the job done as they defeated Win Or Booze 28-25.
Earlier in the day, the under-11/12 semi-finals were played, which saw second-placed C and W Firebirds and third-placed Magpies win through to the grand final.
The minor premiers went tumbling out as Namoi Cotton Thunderbirds went down 24-8 against Magpies.
The other game was much closer as the Firebirds edged out fourth-placed Giants 12-10.
As well as the grand finals that will be played on Saturday, there will also be presentations held.
The schedule for Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 season grand final and presentation day is as follows:
11am – 11/12-years grand final:
C and W Firebirds v Magpies on court two.
12pm – presentation:
11/12-years teams and grand final, junior sports person of the year and representative team 12-years.
1pm – C-grade grand final:
Wilga Warriors v Hot Shots on court two.
2.15pm – B-grade grand final:
The Goats v Pretty Poison on court two.
3.30pm – A-reserve grand final:
Vicious and Delicious v All Nets on court two.
4.45pm – A-grade grand final:
Fever v Tourist Tornadoes on court two.
6.10pm – presentation:
All senior grand finals, C-grade, B-grade, A-reserve, A-grade, umpire awards, committee person of the year, life members, representative teams 13-years, 14-years, 15-years and 17-years.
