Narrabri Netball Association’s mixed competition wraps up with final playoff games

Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed netball campaign wrapped up with the final night of matches at the Bev Burrows Courts last Thursday.

The champions were crowned as the playoff games were contested in the open and high school-aged divisions, and the final two rounds were played in the junior competition.

Galaxy is the open division champ, AGT is the winner of the high school-aged comp, and Nett Setters took out the junior division.

Galaxy was one of four teams in the mix to compete for first place when the playoffs began back on Thursday, December 8.

There were 14 senior teams this year, and they were split into two pools of seven. The two top-ranked teams in each of the pools went into the two major playoff matches, and the winners of those games would then meet on the final evening to compete for the gold medals.

Galaxy was placed into the Namoi pool at the start of the season and won five of its six matches to finish on top of the table.

It then won its semi-final against the second-placed Kaputar pool side, What A Catch, to set up a playoff game against Oreos.

Oreos had finished second on the Namoi ladder after also winning five of its six games and it then beat the top-ranked Kaputar pool team Wilga Wales in the first week of the playoffs.

Galaxy and Oreos, two entertaining and fast-paced teams, were expected to put on a spectacle in the last game of the season, and that they did as Galaxy claimed a 23-16 victory to be crowned champions.

All teams were given an opportunity to compete in the playoff matches this season.

The final rankings for the senior sides following two weeks of playoff games are as follows:
1. Galaxy, 2. Oreos, 3. Wilga Whales, 4. What a Catch, 5. Two390 Phoenix, 6. Hoop There It Is, 7. Dantone Designs, 8. T-Table Trolls, 9. Jam Drops, 10. Nets Get Physical, 11. The Fraggles, 12. Mums and Bubs, 13. Boss Babes, 14. AFF Farm Dogs.

Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season open competition champions Galaxy - back, Emma Redfern, Molly Welsh, Telisha and Blake Hilderson, Angie Knox, Declan Rooney, Dannielle Pokarier, Tom Ryan holding Reeve Holland, front, Kasey Hilderson, Menzie Baker-Harvey and EmmJay Baker. Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season open competition champions Galaxy - back, Emma Redfern, Molly Welsh, Telisha and Blake Hilderson, Angie Knox, Declan Rooney, Dannielle Pokarier, Tom Ryan holding Reeve Holland, front, Kasey Hilderson, Menzie Baker-Harvey and EmmJay Baker.

Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season high school-aged competition champions AGT - back, Noah Ghassan, Max Stoltenberg, Bridie Russell, Mia Gould, Tom Ryan, Harry Bennett, front, Brigette Rose, Baxter Capp, Oscar George, Paige Hetherington, Bayley Kelly and Meika Foley. Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season high school-aged competition champions AGT - back, Noah Ghassan, Max Stoltenberg, Bridie Russell, Mia Gould, Tom Ryan, Harry Bennett, front, Brigette Rose, Baxter Capp, Oscar George, Paige Hetherington, Bayley Kelly and Meika Foley.

Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season junior competition champions Net Setters - Analise Hamblin, Martha Barton, Gus Ford, Lachlan Cameron, Grace Lennox and Georgia and Blake Herden. Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 mixed season junior competition champions Net Setters - Analise Hamblin, Martha Barton, Gus Ford, Lachlan Cameron, Grace Lennox and Georgia and Blake Herden.

In the high school-aged division, AGT was the winner after prevailing 26-7 in its playoff game against S’n’B last Thursday.

There were eight teams in that comp this year, and for the playoffs, the top four teams following the seven-round regular season split off into one pool and the bottom four teams broke away into another.

AGT had topped the table with six wins and a loss, and S’n’B had placed second with the same record.

Those teams won their respective matches during the first week of the playoffs to set up a showdown in the final game of the season, and it was AGT that prevailed.

The overall rankings for the high school-aged division are as follows:

High school blue:
1. AGT, 2. S’n’B, 3. Cloud 11, 4. Rowdy Rockets.

High school red:
1. Mix It Up, 1. Goal Diggers, 3. Young Guns, 4. The Lunatics.

In the junior division, there were no playoff matches this season. The five teams all played eight games across 10 rounds, meaning that they met all opposition teams twice.

The final two rounds were played last Thursday, and it was Net Setters and Jetts that went into the evening’s proceedings ranked first and second and competing for a shot at the gold medals.

Jetts lost both of its games, 8-6 against Swamp Donkeys and then 9-4 against Shooting Stars, and finished the season in second place.

Net Setters had a bye in round nine and then won its round 10 match 10-0 against Swamp Donkeys to finish the season on top of the table with 12 points. It forfeited two of its games but won all six that it played on court.

The overall standings in the junior division are as follows:
1. Net Setters, 2. Jetts, 3. Go Getters, 4. Shooting Stars, 5. Swamp Donkeys.

This year’s mixed campaign was the first that Narrabri Netball Association was able to run since 2019, following two years affected by COVID-19 and a lack of volunteers.

Almost 300 players took to the courts across the nine weeks, and it was another enjoyable campaign that many teams and players labelled as well-run by the association’s small but hard-working committee.