Valley Vixens win NNA’s 2022 under-9/10 competition decider

Valley Vixens completed a fantastic season in style with one final win at the Bev Burrows Courts on Saturday where they were crowned Narrabri Netball Association’s 2022 under-9/10 champions.

The Wee Waa Netball girls went into the decider having won 14 of the 16 matches they had played during the regular season, and they got the job done with win number 15 for the year as they outscored The Roses 7-3.

The Vixens had gained automatic qualification into the grand final after placing first on the three-team ladder at the completion of the 11-round regular season. They were then joined by The Roses, which placed second on the ladder before downing third-placed side The Diamonds in the preliminary final.

While players from both teams all excelled on Saturday, Valley Vixens’ Sophie Crutcher was named the grand final player-of-the-match.

There were several other awards announced at the conclusion of the game. The Helen Houguet memorial trophy for junior goal aggregate went to the Valley Vixens, most improved for The Diamonds was awarded to Natalie Anderson, most improved for The Roses went to Angel Stanford, and most improved for Valley Vixens was awarded to Quinn Towns.

Two other Wee Waa junior teams were scheduled to play against one another in a blockbuster final-round game in the under-11-12 competition.

Namoi Cotton Thunderbirds and the C and W Firebirds entered round 13 ranked first and second with just one point separating the sides, but a minor premiership battle did not go ahead after both settled for a draw as they were affected by players being away at the Wee Waa show.

They will face off on Saturday in the semi-finals after the Thunderbirds finished first and the Firebirds placed second.

In the other final-round games, the third-placed Magpies were downed 15-9 by the fourth-placed Giants, and the fifth-placed Lightning beat sixth-placed Swifts 15-7.

All six under-11/12 teams will be in action during the first week of the three-week finals series this Saturday.

Meanwhile, the senior teams still have one round left to play in their regular seasons following Saturday’s round 13 games.

Fever has all but wrapped up the A-grade minor premiership following a 32-21 victory against fourth-placed Not Fast But Furious. That win saw Fever climb to 18 points and remain two points clear of second-placed Wee Waa Flames, which won by forfeit from Pharmacy Flamingos in round 13.

Fever has the bye on Saturday in round 14, and that means a win will see the Flames join the top-ranked side on 18 points. However, Fever’s for and against percentage is much higher and would most likely get it over the line.

Just one point behind the Flames are the Tourist Tornadoes, which locked up a top-three spot with a big win on Saturday. They downed sixth-placed Vicious and Delicious 53-9 to move four clear of Not Fast But Furious with just one round remaining.

The Flamingos are still ranked fifth following their forfeit loss and will need to beat the Tornadoes in round 14 for a chance to finish in the top four and play in the A-grade finals series. They will also require Not Fast But Furious to lose against Vicious and Delicious to sneak into fourth.

The other A-grade match in the 14th and final round will see the Flames challenge seventh-placed side Golfie Grubs, which had the bye in round 13.

The B-grade competition will feature a blockbuster top-of-the-table match this Saturday when All Nets and The Goats go head-to-head for first place on the ladder and a chance to join the three bottom-ranked A-grade sides in the A Reserve finals series.

All Nets are still first after receiving a forfeit win against Win Or Booze in round 13, while The Goats remained in second place after downing third-placed Pretty Poison 39-20.

The Goats are just two points behind the ladder leaders but have a superior for and against percentage, meaning they will place first if they win this Saturday and the two sides finish the season locked on 22 points.

The other B-grade results in round 13 saw Win Diesel beat Blue Rebels 29-10 and Hot Shots forfeit against the Wilga Warriors.

Pretty Poison, Blue Rebels and Win Diesel are still ranked third to fifth on the B-grade ladder, respectively, and will feature in the B-grade finals series alongside either All Nets or The Goats.

Below them, Wilga Warriors have risen to sixth and now sit in the box seat for automatic qualification to the C-grade decider after spending most of the 2022 season at the bottom of the ladder.

Win Or Booze is now seventh and Hot Shots are last.