Liam Durkin & Erika Allen
DROUIN shocked the local netball world after winning the Gippsland League A grade premiership.
The Hawks won a grand final epic over Moe, getting up 75-73 after extra time at the Traralgon Showgrounds.
While the Lions and Hawks had been one and two the entire season, no one in their right mind saw this result coming. That’s probably including Drouin players.
For the Hawks to have been any chance, they would have needed star shooter Mwai Kumwenda. In a case of what Moe thought was perfect timing however, the league best-and-fairest jetted off to Kenya early in the week to play for Malawi in the World Cup qualifiers.
If Drouin didn’t have Kumwenda shooting goals at one end, it certainly needed Ebony Mumford stopping them at the other. In a double-blow however, the Hawks also lost Mumford to injury in the preliminary final.
Talk surrounding the game for most of the week centred on who Drouin had out.
With the Hawks’ goal shooter and goal keeper both missing, there was surely no way known Moe could lose.
This was a Lions team going for four-in-a-row as well, and who was only one player short of being full strength itself.
Speaking to a few neutrals, the view was unanimous: Drouin was no chance. They might as well have engraved the cup with Moe’s name before the game.
As history is littered with however, a grand final is not won until the day.
A small field creates a 50-50 contest.
And as Moe found out, Drouin’s perceived weakness actually became its greatest strength.
With so much focus going to Kumwenda during the season, her absence allowed Charlize Traumanis to step up.
Traumanis is a state goaler, and she ended up shooting 53 goals in the grand final. Veteran Stacie Gardiner also moved into the ring, and shot 22 in a best-on-court performance.
With two of their best players out, the Hawks simply moved everyone up a line.
They needed three players to double up from B grade just to fill a bench. This in a grand final mind you, not a regular season game.
Brooke de Riter, Leilani Lightowler and Sarah Roughead all found themselves in the right place at the right time. The trio won two premiership medals in one day, after the Hawks also won B grade against Leongatha, 37-35, in which Roughead was named best-on-court.
The A grade match seemed to be going to script in the first half.
Moe shot 21 goals to 10 in the second quarter to lead 33-25 at the main break. Drouin, however, shot 17 goals to 10, as the Lions started to show first signs of jitters across the court.
An intense final quarter played out, with teams going goal-for-goal.
Scores were level at full-time, 57-57.
Moe won the first period of extra time 6-5, yet netball requires a team to win by two goals in extra time for the match to finish.
The Hawks found the extra three goals needed to do such, winning the second period of overtime 13-10 to see a different Gippsland League A grade premier for the first time since 2022.
Ava Gaul was equally prominent for Drouin, working alongside Gardiner and Traumanis.
Gardiner added another premiership to her collection. As long as netball has been played at Drouin, the name Stacie Gardiner appears to have been as well.
Ash Mawer shot 61 goals for Moe. League most valuable player Jordan Pyle also played well, as did Georgia Moody.
Moe lost just one game leading into the grand final, which came early in the season against Drouin.
The result will surely sting for Moe, who looked all but certain to become the first top tier team in the league’s history to win four consecutive premierships.
Despite finishing on top of the ladder, the Lions faced a few challenges this season, with the roster changing week-to-week. Most of Moe’s players were either on higher duties or injured this season, requiring second-year playing-coach Alex Moody to showcase some serious adaptability.
Morwell won the C grade title, defeating Traralgon in the only local derby of grand final day, 37-34.
The win capped off a memorable finals series for the Tigers, who went undefeated during the post-regular season. It also avenged last year’s grand final loss.
Tigers goal keeper Jacinta Tipping was named best-on-court.
TWO Traralgon netball teams won 40 games across the 2026 Gippsland League season and finals series.
The club’s 13-and-under and 17-and-under sides entered Saturday’s grand finals as heavy favourites, having remained unbeaten throughout the season. Both delivered when it mattered, ending dominant campaigns with premierships.
The 13-and-under Maroons defeated Maffra 34-20 to claim the first flag on offer, starting Traralgon’s campaign on a high as the first of four netball teams to take to the court.
Maffra improved since its second semi-final meeting against Traralgon, but the Maroons answered every challenge the Eagles threw at them on Saturday.
Tessa Jennings, who took home two medals, including the best-on-court award, along with her premiership medallion, was a key figure in Traralgon’s midcourt. The 12-year-old proved a versatile asset for the Maroons, contributing in both defensive and attacking roles.
Jennings started at wing defence, while goal defence Portia Weaver was tasked with matching up against Maffra’s composed goal attack, Ruby Delaney.
After converting the first goal of the match from their centre pass, the Maroons immediately applied pressure to Maffra’s centre pass and forced a turnover.
Maffra’s defensive pairing of Myah Henry and Jemma Burley was tested early but responded with turnovers of their own. However, the Maroons continued to stifle the Eagles’ attacking momentum, with Maffra progressing only as far as the centre third before the Traralgon forced another turnover.
Yet to score as Traralgon moved to a four-goal lead, Maffra’s Tabbatha Coggan produced a lunging intercept as the goal attack pressed deep into the centre third. Oceanna Greaves then fed the ball into the shooting circle, allowing Coggan to finish the passage and open Maffra’s account.
The Eagles continued to press and led by one goal at quarter-time.
The Maroons then shut down Maffra’s attack in the second term, while Lillian Zanella and Abbie Hazelmann combined for eight goals to take Traralgon’s tally to 14 and establish a seven-goal half-time lead.
Maffra responded with eight goals in the third term, but Traralgon kept building an advantage and, by three-quarter time, had extended the margin to 10 goals.
The Maroons pulled further away in the final term to win by 14 goals, with Hazelmann finishing as the leading scorer with 19 goals. Zanella provided strong support in the shooting circle with 15 goals, while Isla Dorning led Maffra’s scoring with 11 and Coggan finished with nine.
Traralgon’s 17-and-under side celebrates winning the 2026 premiership.
THE 15-and-under Maroons, despite entering the grand final as favourites, fell at the final hurdle as Leongatha staged an upset win, 33-22, to claim the day’s second netball premiership.
The Parrots finished the regular season with one blemish, having previously lost to the Maroons in round four by just three goals. The unbeaten Maroons again defeated them by seven goals in the second semi-final, but the Parrots brought their ‘A game’ on Saturday, breaking the game open in the third term with a 9-3 quarter.
After leading by four goals at quarter-time, the Parrots lost some momentum in the second term as Traralgon surged, cutting the margin to one goal by half-time. But shooters Anika Edwards and Jemma Rump helped restore Leongatha’s advantage in the third term, extending the lead to seven goals at three-quarter-time off the back of strong defensive work from Mikayla Richards and Ashlee Spark, who was named best on court by the match umpires.
Leongatha sealed victory with an 11-7 final term to claim the club’s sole flag of the day.
Gippsland League 15-and-under premier, Leongatha.
Photo: Leongatha FNC, Facebook
TRARALGON’S 17-and-under side followed on from the success of the club’s youngest side, also completing an undefeated season in style by defeating Bairnsdale 38-32 in Saturday’s grand final.
The Maroons finished the home-and-away season as minor premiers and carried that form into the finals, remaining unbeaten throughout their campaign. Bairnsdale entered the decider hoping to defend last year’s premiership, but Traralgon had other plans.
The sides were evenly matched for three quarters before the Maroons found an extra gear in the final term, with Beth Wallace finishing with a match-high 26 goals and vice-captain Ruby Bridger lifting her tally to 12 by the final whistle.
The duo’s consistent quality was evident this year, with both finishing the regular season among the division’s top five goal shooters. Their accuracy and composure were assets in the grand final, as the Maroons took an early lead.
Traralgon led by a goal at quarter-time, 9-8, before Bairnsdale hit back to level the scores at 18 goals apiece at half-time.
Bairnsdale’s shooters Roxie Jackson and captain Olivia Pearson both finished with 16 goals, combining for 10 in the second term to bring their side back into the contest. Wing attack Maizy Duck and centre Emme Hadden were instrumental in moving the ball through the midcourt, using their speed to feed the shooting circle as the Redlegs continued building momentum.
The sides remained tied at 27 goals apiece at three-quarter-time.
Bairnsdale started the final term strongly, but Traralgon stayed within reach, with Wallace anchoring the attack under the ring and taking passes from Bridger.
The Maroons’ defensive pressure then began to force turnovers, allowing them to regain the lead and momentum. Goalkeeper Jayme Davis was a standout, winning possession under the ring to disrupt Bairnsdale’s attacking flow.
Amily Smith and captain Ella Bigham were key to shifting the ball from defence into attack for the Maroons, mixing up their feeds into the shooting circle with bounce passes and accurate overheads. When Bairnsdale attempted similar tactics in the final term, Traralgon’s defensive pressure forced turnovers that Bridger and Wallace quickly converted.
The Maroons dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Redlegs 11 goals to five to secure a six-goal victory and complete their unbeaten season.
Smith was named best on court by the match umpires, while Davis was recognised for her defensive effort against Bairnsdale goal shooter Ava Langley, who finished with 16 goals. Bridger was also named among Traralgon’s top three contributors.
