Irymple v Red Cliffs
Henshilwood Oval courts, 12pm
WITH Mildura idle this week, Irymple get the chance to leapfrog the Demons on the Sunraysia Football Netball League A Grade netball ladder and move into second place.
But that will be no easy task against improving Red Cliffs even if the game is at the friendly confines of Henshilwood Oval.
The Swallows were made to work hard last week out at Blackburn Park before holding on for a 41-37 win over struggling defending champs Ouyen United.
The battling victory saw them improve their record to 4-2 and just two points behind Mildura but with a game in hand on a packed leaderboard with only six points separating second from fifth and Red Cliffs lurking only two points further back outside the five.
Irymple fell behind early against the Kangas, but a second quarter surge got them a decisive 13 goal advantage, and they clung to the lead until the final siren.
Shooter Samantha Garraway (28 goals) was in superb touch with scoring assistance from coach Shelby Trigg and Tarlia Couzner while wing defence Sophie Price was a nuisance all day and young keeper Alice Leeder, who will be facing her old team today, solid in defence.
The Tigers lost to another team heading in the right direction, Imperials, at Quandong Park last week but could take some solace from the form of keeper Yelena Richardson, centre Jacqulyn Bell and star shooter Zara Copley, who finished with 31 goals.
PREDICTION: Swallows by seven goals
Robinvale Euston v Imperials
John James Oval courts, 12pm
MUCH like Red Cliffs, Robinvale Euston and Imperials are also teams on the rise this season.
While Imps travelled to the Tigers’ lair and won by 14 goals, the Eagles made the daunting trip to George Gordon Oval and gave undefeated Wenworth their toughest test of the season before succumbing by a mere 11 goals – 28 below their previous lowest margin of victory.
Goal shooter Sarah Hepburn (32 goals) and attack Georgia Giofrelle (17) gave the Roos’ defenders plenty to think about while Robinvale Euston’s goal defence Jorja Delcastegne and mid-courter Kirsten Neyland worked tirelessly against the league’s benchmark.
Meanwhile, Imps jumped into the top five with their win, which was sparked by the McManus sisters, Meg and Maddy, lively shooter Ebony Ietto, who finished with 22 goals to complement Meg’s haul of 38, and centre Tracey Sherlock.
The Eagles will be happy to get back to their home court and with the knowledge they can run with the best of them this season.
This should be a real close one, but the trip to Robinvale is tricky at the best of times.
PREDICTION: Eagles by five goals
Merbein v Wentworth
Compound Accounting Park courts, 12pm
WENTWORTH had a little hiccup last week when they only defeated Robinvale Euston at the George Gordon Oval courts by 11 goals and that’s real bad news for Merbein.
The Magpies were pounded by Mildura by 28 points at the Brian Weightman Oval courts last week and they can expect more of the same today when they hit the Compound Accounting Park courts.
Merbein could not stop the Demons’ Jess McNamara from scoring 41 goals, so how do they think they will go against the A Grade’s most prolific scorer, Amanda Edwards?
The goal shooting coach amassed 39 against the Eagles and that was below her 2025 season average.
The Roos will be looking to put that game behind them and get back to their steamrolling best and with dominant players all over the court and a little extra motivation, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
The Pies, under new coach Johannah Gray, are at 3-3 and keen to make a statement against Wenty, but that’s going to be a mighty hard task for the fourth-placed side.
PREDICTION: Roos by 35
Ouyen United v South Mildura
Underbool Recreation Oval courts, 12pm
OUYEN United’s title defence is hanging by a thread and a loss at home today to fellow strugglers South Mildura would all but end their hopes of going back-to-back.
Even at 1-6, the Kangas are only eight points behind fifth on the ladder but that’s looking like a very large margin right now as coach Kyra Nathan tries to rally her squad after yet another defeat last weekend – by four points to Irymple at home.
It was an improved effort but still another ‘L’ in the column.
Catherine Brown played well along with Tsharni Burns and Mel Dyda, but something is just not clicking in Kanga-land.
The same can be said at the Kennel where the Bulldogs, finalists last year, are only just ahead of Ouyen United on the table at 2-4, but also within theoretical reach of the top five.
South had the week off thanks to the bye and coach Tara Bate said after a beatdown by Wentworth that the team was going to use that time to regroup and build chemistry.
Well, one of these sides will win and the other will be left twisting in the wind for a few more weeks.
PREDICTION: Bulldogs by four goals
