The Timbercutters faced an 11-goal deficit at three-quarter time but a frenetic final term assault saw them draw within five by the final whistle, with the scoreboard reading 46-41 the way of the Grasshoppers.
Timbercutters coach Rita Howard said with more time on the board, Mathoura may have snatched an upset over ninth-placed Rennie.
“We missed a few goals early which put us behind a bit, but once we found our groove we played really well,” Howard said.
“If we had a bit more time we would have come away with the win. The girls played brilliantly in the last quarter to bring the margin back.”
Kat Wippel at wing attack and Shelby Marrone impressed for Howard.
“We brought Kat Wippel up (from B-grade) and she played brilliantly. Shelby played a half and did an excellent job,” Howard said.
Mathoura has just one game remaining in the PDNL season, facing the high-flying Waaia.
But while the Timbercutters won’t feature in finals, one side which confirmed its status in the top eight is Picola United.
The Blues received a forfeit from opponent Berrigan in round 17, snatching the four points required to make their place in finals a mathematical certainty.
Currently sixth, United now has a two-game buffer on eighth spot, qualifying for its fourth straight finals campaign.
It will prime itself for finals with a final-round match-up with Deniliquin Rovers to determine where it falls in the top-eight hierarchy, with a spot as high as fourth up for grabs.
