Shepparton East’s Maddison Newey reaches for the ball.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
Round 11 of Kyabram District League A-grade netball had a pair of heavyweight clashes, with the top four playing off against each other on a weekend which may have made the finals picture a whole lot clearer.
Rushworth maintains third spot on the ladder despite the loss.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
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In a first v third battle at Central Park Recreation Reserve, ladder leader Shepparton East took on surprise packet Rushworth, which has risen from a winless season last year to sit comfortably among the top sides past the halfway point of 2025.
Rushworth’s Lilly Waasdorp wins possession.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
The match was an intriguing prospect in the lead up, but the Eagles made it a rather anticlimactic affair, showing all of the prowess one would expect from a side sitting pretty at 10-0 for the season with a resounding 54-28 victory.
The Tigers were unable to overcome the might of Shepp East.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
Rushworth, which slips to 8-2 following the loss, was powerless to stop the onslaught, and it is getting harder and harder to see anyone stopping the Eagles juggernaut this season.
Rushworth proved no match for Shepp East at the weekend.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
But in the other top four clash, Nagambie may have staked its claim as top challenger to the Eagles.
Taking on 2024 premier Girgarre, the Lakers delivered a 48-43 win away win, extending their unbeaten run to nine games, their only loss for the year coming in round one against Violet Town.
That loss is beginning to look like an outlier for second-placed Nagambie, which has rarely been troubled since, having only won by less than 10 goals on two occasions, including Saturday’s win over the Roos.
Eagle Rebecca Rendina finds a teammate with a pass.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
And while the result puts the Lakers in prime position to challenge Shepp East at the top, it is a sobering loss for Girgarre, with the reigning premier having now fallen victim to each of the three sides above it.
Shepp East’s Marni Thorne wins the ball.
Photo by
Holly Daniel
The Roos (7-3) are now three games back from top spot, and even two back from Nagambie in second, and appear to have fallen down the pecking order – but premierships aren’t handed out in June, and there is still plenty to play out between now and that one day in September.
In other results, Avenel and Tallygaroopna each shored up their spot inside the top six, improving to 6-4 following wins in round 11.
The Swans keep hold of fifth after accounting for Stanhope 54-39 away from home, while Tallygaroopna gave itself some breathing room in sixth, beating Merrigum 34-29 to move two games clear of Murchison-Toolamba in seventh.
Undera continued 2024 runner-up Lancaster’s torrid season, claiming a 38-36 win at Lancaster Recreation Reserve, while Violet Town returned to the winners’ list with a 42-33 win over winless Longwood.
