NETBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
ONE team now stands alone as officially the greatest in Gippsland League netball history.
While debate will surely rage on, the fact of the matter remains: only one team has ever won three consecutive A Grade premierships.
That team is Moe, after the Lions defeated Warragul 63 to 59 in the Grand Final at the weekend.
Just two words from first-year Moe playing-coach Alex Moody as she accepted the premiership cup was all that was needed to perfectly encapsulate the feelings of all wearing the maroon and blue:
“Hat-trick baby!”
Two words, and yet for two quarters at least on the Morwell Recreation Reserve court, the Lions had to fend off a determined Gulls outfit that simply refused to lie down.
Warragul might as well have spent the entire first quarter doing exactly that however, after the Lions put in a breath-taking display to lead 20-8 at quarter time.
The Gulls, seeking redemption from last year’s narrow two-goal loss, certainly had sentimentality on their side, and came into the Grand Final fresh after a week off having handed the Lions their only loss for the season in the second semi-final.
The loss may well have jolted Moe into sharpening up, and if the first quarter was any indication, the Lions were absolutely primed both tactically and physically.
Put simply, everything Moe touched turned to gold in the first quarter.
Conversely, not much went right for Warragul.
Nerves were clearly evident right from the outset, with Gulls giant Emma Ryde needing to shoot three times following consecutive rebounds just to get her side’s first major on the board.
The Lions reportedly planned to counter Ryde (who shot more than 1000 goals for the season) by bodying-on and playing in front, and early wins came to the minor premier in more ways than one.
Warragul subbed captain Alex Cole out of centre midway through the first quarter, sending veteran Renee Nobelius in to presumably provide some composure under increasing scoreboard pressure.
Moe’s biggest win however may well have come in defence – at least judging by the reaction from the bench after Ramayer Keilty and Jordan Pyle worked in tandem to win the ball out of Ryde’s reach.
At that moment, the Lions coaching staff erupted in the knowledge they had a game plan that was working.
Up the other end, goal attack Georgia Moody was sinking goals from some distance, with her unique but highly effective stop-prop routine paying dividends.
The junior Moody was involved in a good display of sportsmanship following a collision with Cole midcourt. Both players were quick to check in on each other before resuming play.
Moe got out to a 13-6 lead before the game had any chance of settling down, and the Lions then blew it out to 7-16 in a scoreline even they themselves perhaps didn’t see coming.
The ball lived in Moe’s end for a good solid five minutes, which felt like an eternity given the context of the match, while an uncharacteristic dropped pass from Ryde just before the quarter time siren perhaps summed up Warragul’s woes.
Come quarter time, it was high 10s all round in the Moe camp, and for the Gulls, the chance to get a desperate reset and set about a response.
The second quarter didn’t start much better for Warragul, with some players visibly frustrated with how things were panning out.
Moe however kept playing, taking the score to 27-13 before things took a dramatic turn.
The Gulls were able to stem the bleeding, and then get a run on, trimming the margin under double digits.
Their comeback was personified by Lily Sheehan, who literally put her body on the line trying to fetch a loose ball, tumbling into the crowd in the process.
Every player wearing a Gulls dress seemed to lift from that moment, and before too long, Warragul had momentum and a deficit of seven goals.
Momentum for the Gulls and muddled defence for the Lions, as players started getting in each other’s way amid some more bizarre happenings.
Moe vice captain, Macy Gardiner somehow ended with the ball on her back during one passage of play, while the game had to be stopped to clear an errant Great Northern can that had made its way onto the arena.
The Gulls shot 19 goals to 14 in the second term, well and truly achieving the response they desired.
Contrasting body language was seen at the main break. Where the Lions had been ‘up and about’ just a quarter before, now Warragul was the team seemingly with its tail up with the scoreboard reading 34-27 Moe’s way.
Moe perhaps buckled a little as the third term started and irritating showers hit. An early rebound and another costly turnover forced Keilty to play a settling role in the defensive third, trying to arrest some calm and stability.
By now, the Gulls had well and truly arrived at the contest, nabbing three consecutive intercepts midcourt, reducing the margin to six following some big moments, particularly from Sheehan, who just about turned the game.
Warragul sensed they were a real chance when they got within four goals.
Both Nobelius and Cole were very animated when that goal was scored – the former holding both arms aloft, and the latter clapping wildly from the interchange.
Moe arrested the situation with some steadying goals through Ash Mawer, but Warragul simply kept coming, making it a two-goal game in what seemed only a matter of minutes.
All was set for a finish befitting of a grand final, with just one quarter of netball left to determine the champion team of 2025.
“We couldn’t, could we? Hell of a story,” one Warragul supporter quipped.
The story could well have been a bestseller, yet a crucial miss early in the last from Ryde gave the Lions a huge let off.
Ryde cursed herself as the ball went away from goal, and most Gulls supporters within earshot audibly expressed that might have been Warragul’s big chance.
The Lions scored first to calm some nerves, and steadied when the game required, getting the score out to 56-49.
Some bewilderment meanwhile was seen over at the Warragul bench, with captain Cole still off the court when her team needed her most.
Moe was not prepared to rest on any laurels, exemplified by Keilty colliding solidly with the post in a defensive effort.
The Gulls got the margin back down to four, although time became a factor, and there was an undeniable feeling the Lions would be able to hold on.
Lions vice president Ash Johnson frantically had one eye on the clock as the last term played out, and would have breathed a huge sigh of relief when Keilty took an airborne intercept coming from some distance.
That was arguably the moment the premiership was won, however, there was at least one more twist in the tale – an incredibly bizarre one at that.
Amid the understandable chaos of a Grand Final, Moe defender Olivia Barnett mistakenly thought Ryde was an open teammate.
Ryde, who was only free because she was busy lamenting a previous decision, accepted the easiest of goals to again make it a four-goal game.
The error had little consequence (and proved even VNL players can make mistakes) as the siren sounded shortly after, etching Moe’s name into league history books.
The final score was 63 to 59, and Moe officially the first team to ever win three consecutive A Grade premierships.
Somewhat subdued celebrations followed the siren, a perhaps natural reaction for a professional team like Moe now accustomed to success.
Most fittingly, the sun shined brightest as soon as the game ended, fully illuminating the Lions as the standout team of the competition.
Warragul coach, Kim Weller credited Moe on their victory, saying the Lions’ first quarter was simply outstanding.
In a show of just how good a game she played, Nobelius achieved the rare feat of being named best-on-court in a losing Grand Final.
Clearly not chasing individual accolades, the 34-year-old took the medal off as soon as she exited the presentation area.
Winning coach Moody graciously acknowledged Warragul in her speech.
“You really made us earn it. You are a very hard team to stop and you’ve been the strongest opposition we’ve had for the last two years,” she said.
Turning to her team, Moody was beaming with pride as she addressed them.
“I absolutely love this club, the support that we’ve had this year has been unmatched,” she said.
“This isn’t just A Grade’s flag, we’ve had C Grade girls and B Grade girls fill in for us this year, so this is as much theirs as it is ours.
“I love playing with this group as much as I love coaching it. Really, really proud of all you girls, you showed up and did everything that we spoke about.”
Alex joined her younger sister Georgia in another premiership, along with dad Peter, who coached the club’s first A Grade flag in 2018, and was side-saddle as an assistant this season.
Georgia has now played in an incredible four Moe premierships (2018, 2023-25), as has Charlize Bird.
Both have also played more than 100 games for the Lions – and are still yet to turn 25.
The entire team has been there for the last three, with the exception of Mawer, who came in from the Tasmanian state league thanks to connections through Barnett and Alex Moody in VNL circles.
Those behind the scenes have also been crucial to the Moe machine of 2025.
Netball director and specialist coach, Belinda Parise added another flag to the many she has had her fingerprints on, while team manager, Jess Hutchinson stayed involved this season after needing to sit out due to pregnancy.
Her dad, Ken umpired the fourths football earlier in the day, witnessing one of the great upsets as Maffra rolled an undefeated Traralgon.
He witnessed that, and Jess witnessed the completion of a netball dynasty.
With another premiership to take space on the wall at Ted Summerton Reserve (which will be the ‘new’ Ted Summerton by the time the Lions are back for next season following the Commonwealth Games upgrade), the subsequent pathways of Moe and Warragul offers an intriguing forecast.
The Gulls were clearly desperate to win this year’s flag, and while there is no denying Warragul possesses a gun shooter and gun midcourters, time could now be their greatest enemy.
Nobelius, Jaime Rollinson and Jade Finn are all well into their 30s, while Naomi Allardyce is 31 and Ryde turns 30 next year.
The Lions meanwhile are arguably in their prime or just about – a scary proposition for any team that has just gone back-to-back-to-back.
Barnett, Bird, Gardiner, Georgia Moody and Hollie Bugeja are all still yet to turn 25 – the age generally considered the start of a netballers peak years.
Alex Moody and Jordan Pyle meanwhile are in that bracket, while the experience, height and sheer athleticism of Keilty (30) and Mawer (29) means they likely have a few more years left in them.
