MANY of the individual award winners in this season’s netball action will be chasing premiership success at Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL netball grand final day on Saturday at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
There will be five winners of league fairest and best medals and four runners-up on court across the day’s play.
A top-class clash in A-grade will feature Betty Thompson medallist Ruby Barkmeyer at goal attack for Kangaroo Flat.
The Jayden Cowling-coached Kangaroo Flat will start favourite to claim the premiership cup for a 10th time.
Barkmeyer’s brilliant season included Bendigo’s best in open representative netball.
Standing in the Kangaroos’ way to be unbeaten premier two years in a row is Sandhurst.
A strong Sandhurst team coached by Tamara Gilchrist includes this season’s Thompson medal runner-up Shae Clifford at centre and Bart ‘n’ Print Rising Star award recipient Harriet Whiteacre.
It’s a busy grand final day for the Gilchrist clan as Elle will play for the 15-and-under team which is coached by Reese Gilchrist.
A closely-fought race for the 15-and-under fairest and best award was won by Elle Gilchrist on 18 votes from Golden Square’s Ava Hope on 17 votes.
The Sandhurst line-up includes Evie Gretgrix who earnt the Bendigo FNL best representative player award.
The Carol Sing medallist for the 17-and-under competition, Ese Phillips will play role in Sandhurst’s defence in the grand final showdown with Strathfieldsaye.
A tally of 26 votes earnt Phillips the Sing medal as Kangaroo Flat’s Peyton Chambers was runner-up on 22 votes.
Phillips said coaches Rose Gallagher and Carol Cathcart had put in plenty of time to help improve her play and also develop off-court.
The athleticism and reach of Strathfieldsaye’s Lexie Fennell is a huge plus for Strathfieldsaye as it chases a premiership win.
Fennell was the league’s best representative player at 17-and-under level.
First and second for the B-reserve fairest and best, Kangaroo Flat team-mates Megan Kelly and Sophie Ingram will be on court on grand final day.
Key players in attack and defence respectively, Kelly and Ingram polled 19 and 17 votes as the Kangaroos went 15-1 in the home-and-away series.
The Nina Cass-coached Kangaroos will play Gisborne in the grand final.
An unbeaten Gisborne will take on Strathfieldsaye in B-grade on grand final day.
Winner of the Carol Bingham Medal as fairest and best was Gisborne’s Olivia Fenn on 20 votes.
Joint runners-up were Gisborne team-mate Rylee Connell and South Bendigo’s Paige Campbell who were locked on 18 votes.
The Rylee Connell-coached Gisborne scored a nine-goal win against Strathfieldsaye in the second semi-final.
Consecutive victories for the Jenni Holborn Medal as A-reserve fairest and best capped a superb fightback from Kangaroo Flat’s Ella Wicks from a knee reconstruction.
A brilliant player in mid-court, Wicks became the first player to earn the Holborn Medal in consecutive seasons.
Wicks polled 25 votes in the medal race and will be a key player in the grand final clash with South Bendigo.
Among the key factors in her play have been a strong mindset to compete and improve.
Runner-up for the A-reserve medal was Sandhurst’s Reese Gilchrist who has coached the 15-and-under team to the competition’s first grand final.
