NETBALL
VNL
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
TRARALGON was hit with a wave of elite netball recently for Netball Victoria’s Gippsland Showcase.
The Gippsland Stars were the prize of the fixture for locals attending the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on March 15.
It marked just the second time the Stars featured in the Latrobe Valley and third in broader Gippsland since the Victorian Netball League club was launched in 2024.
In front of a raucous crowd, the Stars came ever so close to pipping their first win from their first game.
Facing off against Peninsula Waves, the Stars fell by a single goal after almost completing a sensational comeback.
The home team’s main target became apparent from the moment they stepped on the court, with the Waves graced with long-time shooting star and recent Drouin recruit Mwai Kumwenda.
Play was hot from the get go, as the ball flung back-and-forth, seeing Kumwenda and Gippsland’s Sam Silvester going goal-for-goal early.
The Stars began to get the jump on the Waves, laying critical pressure to garner a two-goal lead midway through the first quarter.
However, just as Gippsland seemed to be getting an edge, Peninsula punched in three consecutive goals to take back the lead.
The first term ended in a stalemate, tied 16-all.
As play returned, the game continued to put the home crowd through the ringer.
Silvester positioned greatly against her opponent, found by her teammates, leading to a 20 to 17 lead through the first few minutes of the second quarter.
While the Waves and Kumwenda responded, the Stars continued to hold firm until the visitors swung back into the lead.
Moe netballer and Stars defender Jordan Pyle was given the tough task of guarding the enforcing Kumwenda in goal shooter.
Pyle was left on an island with the former Australian Diamond, and the Waves quickly stormed to a commanding five-goal lead by halftime.
Despite all their efforts, the Stars still looked down a deficit they needed to fix, and Silvester consistently converted on her attempts to keep her team in the game.
The Waves extended to their largest lead of seven goals before the pair of Silvester and Stacie Gardiner scored in numbers to keep the Stars within striking distance.
However, in the first few minutes of the final quarter, fatigue appeared to set in for the Stars.
In a matter of moments, that all changed.
The Gippsland side awoke from its slumber, applying mountains of pressure and forcing countless turnovers.
As such, equal jubilation and shock filled the stadium as the Stars went on a five-goal run to tie the match up with just minutes remaining.
Both mid courts pressed hard for the ball with the game on the line, and each team continued to go score-for-score.
Stars fans clutched their hands for either a come from behind win or even a draw, only to be nailed a tough final blow.
Despite Gippsland throwing two defenders at her, Kumwenda still stretched her arms out for the ball, subsequently scoring in the final seconds to pinch the win, 63-62.
The Waves’ primary target finished with a game-high 53 goals, besting the great efforts of the Gippsland Stars player of the game, Silvester with 48.
The first-year Stars shooter praised her team’s ability to get back into the game, but also acknowledged the lessons to come out of the loss.
“It has to be a 60-minute game and we had a couple of lapses in there, but I think we fought back pretty well,” Silvester told the Express.
“Hopefully, we just continue that on and continue that energy and take this the rest of the weeks.”
The Stars still have a plethora of players to come back, including Morwell’s Daisy Hill, Yinnar’s Hollie Bugeja and former Traralgon player Sophie Leechino.
Before the Championship match, the Stars’ 23-and-Under team also took on the Waves, succumbing by 19 goals.
While the younger side displayed great patches, Peninsula had many more scoring contributors with three etching double figures.
Traralgon shooting star Lara Noblett led the way for the Stars with 24 goals.
Another two games also featured on the fixture with both Casey Demons and Southern Saints sides going at it.
One-time Morwell shooter Holly Stephens led the charge in the Demons’ win in the U/23 match with 28 goals.
Former Warragul shooting machine Emma Ryde, who passed the 1000-goal mark in the Gippsland League last season, tallied 51 goals in the Demons’ Championship victory.
Netball Victoria Eastern Region Manager Judi Buhagiar summed up the weekend’s showcase, which also included umpiring and coaching workshops.
“The Gippsland Showcase, also forming part of Round 1 of the VNL, reflects exactly who we are as a sport: community drive, connected and committed to excellence,” she said.
“Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for young players to see their future stars in action and to experience the pathway that exists right there in their own backyard thanks to the establishment of the Gippsland Stars.”
Buhagiar added that the local VNL club has had a significant impact on participation in the region, making up part of a thriving state of netball, which surpassed 121,000 membership in 2025.
THE Stars got the short end of the stick again in their Round 2 showdown against Western Warriors.
In another one-goal loss at the State Netball Centre, Parkville last Wednesday (March 18), Gippsland was again forced to come from behind to pip their first win for the season.
The Championship side led early on, sitting in front at the end of first quarter as well in time for the main break.
Silvester picked up where she left off in her first match, scoring 20 goals in the first half to see the Stars ahead, 27-25.
The Warriors then caught Gippsland lacking once play returned, quickly getting out to a 5-1 run to jump ahead for the first time since the opening minutes.
The deficit was pushed out to as much as six goals, before the Stars came to their senses and began to respond.
Silvester continued to position well, scoring eight of the first 13 goals of the last quarter to tie the match.
After each side had mini-runs, with the Warriors scoring consecutively, only for the Stars to do the same, the final few minutes went goal-for-goal.
Three goals were scored in the last minute of the game, two of which came from the Warriors, including a last second score from Kimberly Borger to secure the win, 54-53.
Silvester went even better in her second game for the Stars, contributing 43 goals, with Gardiner adding 10.
The 23-and-Under side didn’t have any better luck in their second match for the season, going down to the Warriors by 28 goals.
The night before however, the VNL Reserves squad secured its second win of the season against the Warriors in a one-goal thriller.
They’d previously picked up a victory in Round 2 of that competition back on March 3 in another one-goal win against Boroondara Express.
Returning to Gippsland, the Stars won’t play again until this Sunday (March 29) at Warragul Leisure Centre against the Southern Saints.
