Sport
27 June, 2026
Second quarter flurry secures the points
MITIAMO aside, this Loddon Valley A Grade netball season is has become a tense race for the right to challenge the Superoos for the crown.
MITIAMO aside, this Loddon Valley A Grade netball season is has become a tense race for the right to challenge the Superoos for the crown.
With one game separating second from sixth, every match near the top of the ladder is potentially season-defining.
Newbridge’s two-goal win over Bridgewater on Saturday saw the Maroons swap places on the ladder with the Mean Machine, putting the home side in a crucial double-chance spot in the finals.
Bridgewater slipped a game behind both Newbridge and Inglewood, but its superior percentage keeps the side clearly in the race for the top three.
Mean Machine coach Lou Dupuy said her team gave away the ball too easily but could still have won the game.
A second quarter in which Newbridge scored 17 goals to eight was the difference between the teams, with Dupuy forced to play seven quarters on the day after goal keeper Erin Delahunty was injured early. Newbridge coach Hayley Martiniello said her team set itself for a big match against its local rivals after a disappointing loss to Pyramid Hill a week earlier.
“We really acknowledged where we went wrong, and that gave us a good attitude coming into the game.”
Historically, the Maroons have tended to lose to Bridgewater the second time they meet in a season after a win first-up, which was another incentive for Martiniello’s team.
She is confident that if Newbridge can play its best netball, it can maintain its top-three position.
Dupuy said inconsistency in attack let down her side when it mattered, with Pyramid Hill to come this week.
Delahunty will be overseas for the next two matches, but Dupuy is confident the senior depth at her disposal will cover the defender’s absence.
Newbridge travels to Maiden Gully on Saturday.
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A STORMING last quarter comeback from Pyramid Hill fell agonisingly short against Inglewood as the pressure continues to build at the top of the A Grade netball ladder.
The Bulldogs’ two-goal loss saw them drop from third to fifth, swapping places with the Blues. Eleven goals down at the final change, Pyramid scored 17 goals to eight in the fourth term to almost snatch an unlikely victory. Mitiamo is unchallenged on top, but the fight for a double chance in the finals is a desperate battle between five teams.
REBUILDING Calivil can hang its hat on an eight-goal improvement in its second meeting with runaway A Grade netball leader Mitiamo.
The unbeaten Superoos scored an imposing 79 goals in both matches against the Demons, but Calivil’s reply rose from 36 to 44 goals in a game coach Annie Blow said brought “lots of positives”.
MAIDEN Gully got back on the winning list with a 25-goal win over Macorna while Marong kept up the pressure on the teams above it on the ladder with a comfortable win over Bears Lagoon Serpentine..
Read More: Newbridge, Bridgewater