Finals time arrives for Narrabri Netball Association teams

Finals action will return to the Bev Burrows Courts this Saturday as the Narrabri Netball Association’s senior B-grade and junior under-9/10 and under-11-13 teams prepare to line up for must-win matches.

All four B-grade teams will play in one-and-done semi-finals, with minor premiers Agies Rural Renegades to line up against fourth-placed Namoi Songbirds while second-placed Hot Shots challenge third-placed Golden Gurls.

The winners of those two games will progress to the August 31 grand final, as will the four winners of the junior divisions’ semi-finals.

The under-9/10 minor premiers, the Valley Vixens will take on fourth-placed Rubies, and the second-placed Wee Waa Bowling Club Swifts will meet third-placed Sapphires, while under-11-13 minor premiers Namoi Cotton Thunderbirds go head-to-head with fourth-placed Lightning, and the second-placed C and W Firebirds take on third-placed Swifts.

The finals format means both of the fifth-placed junior sides are now out of contention, so for Diamonds(under-9/10) and Giants (under-11-13), their season is now over.

Meanwhile, A-grade and A-reserve competition teams will play their last-round regular season matches this Saturday before the two top-ranked teams in each division qualify for grand final day, with no semi-finals in place for those competitions.

Top-ranked A-reserve duo Pharmacy Ferns and Grubs have already locked in their spots for grand final day as they sit on eight points each at the top of the ladder, two wins clear of third-placed All Nets.

Grubs were outright first heading into last Saturday’s round five match between the two sides, but the Ferns won a nail-biter 30-28 to join them on eight points. Those two sides will play round six matches on Saturday that will decide which team wins the minor premiership, but the Ferns have the advantage due to their superior for and against difference.

In the A-grade comp, The Goats kept their grand final hopes alive in round five when they outscored Mii Mii Memorial 42-14 as Flames went down 37-24 against minor premiers and defending champs, the Tourist Tornadoes.

The Goats went into the weekend ranked third, just two wins behind Flames with two games to go, and they needed to win to remain a chance of finishing second. They play against the Flames this weekend and the duo will finish locked on six points if The Goats win, and while Flames have the for and against difference advantage, The Goats can sneak into second if they win by enough goals.

The Tourist Tornadoes are two wins clear at the top of the table and will feature in the grand final once again on August 31 as they go in search of a third consecutive premiership.

Last Saturday’s round 12 B-grade winners were the top-ranked duo as Agies Rural renegades beat Golden Gurls 45-15 and Hot Shots outscored Namoi Songbirds 39-14.

It was a big day at the Bev Burrows Courts for the junior teams as they played another super round, with six matches contested across three timeslots in each division. It saw the under-9/10 and under-11-13 sides play their round one, round 14 and round 15 matches all in one day.

Round 14 games were up first and in the under-11-13 comp, they were won by C and W Firebirds and Swifts. The Firebirds beat Giants 11-6 and the Swifts downed Lightning 9-4.

The ladder-leading Namoi Cotton Thunderbirds had a bye in round 14 and started fast in their round one clash against Giants, which they won 13-1. The other round one match saw C and W Firebirds beat Swifts 11-4.

The Thunderbirds then capped off a brilliant regular season with their 12th consecutive win as they downed Lightning 10-4 to finish undefeated. The other round 15 game was won 6-5 by Swifts over Giants.

In the under-9/10 division, the round 14 games kicked off the day and they saw the Valley Vixens and Sapphires score wins. The Vixens downed Rubies 16-4, while Sapphires edged out Diamonds 1-0.

Wee Waa Bowling Club Swifts had the bye first up and then won their round one game 5-3 against Rubies as Valley Vixens beat Sapphires 5-0.

The round 15 games then saw Wee Waa Bowling Club Swifts defeat the Diamonds 2-0, and Rubies down the Sapphires 4-0.