NETBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
MOE is going for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Gippsland League A Grade netball premiership this weekend.
The Lions have been an undisputed powerhouse on the local netball scene in recent years.
If a hat-trick of flags wasn’t enough, they now have the chance to do something no top grade team, football or netball, has ever been able to do in the league’s history.
While a grand final appearance is consistent with Moe since 2023, season 2026 has stood out for one glaring reason.
In no other season have the Lions been required to be so adaptable.
Previous seasons have carried the luxury of availability, with most of Moe’s first-choice line-up on the court week-in, week-out.
Not so much this season.
Gun goalers Georgia Moody and Ash Mawer have both missed large chunks on SSN duty, while at the other end, key defenders Olivia Barnett (injury) and Ramayer Keilty (pregnancy) have also been missing.
Keilty has returned in time for finals, as has skipper Macy Gardiner, who came back into the side for the semi-final, after sitting out since Round 9.
The team however has operated like a well-oiled machine.
Moe has operated as an excuse-free zone, so much so, the Lions still (remarkably) finished on top of the ladder, dropping just one game during the home-and-away season.
Players coming up from B Grade have played a role rather than simply filling in, as have juniors given exposure to A Grade netball.
The depth of Moe’s playing stocks are evident: B Grade and C Grade finished second and first on the regular season ladder. The under 17s top three, and the under 15s made it to a preliminary final.
On the eve of her fifth grand final (including 2018), Lions playing-coach Alex Moody offered some insights before the big game.
Liam Durkin: Is the sense of history evident among the group? No team in Gippsland League senior football or A Grade netball has ever won four in a row.
Alex Moody: We honestly haven’t spoken about how many times we’ve won before or anything like that. Right now we’re going into the week with the ethos that more people have died walking down Mt Everest than have died climbing up it. We take our eye off the ball, we know that Drouin will be there waiting for us.
LD: Planning for the grand final, the matchup with Drouin goal shooter and league best-and-fairest winner Mwai Kumwenda will be crucial?
AM: MJ is an amazing player. She is incredibly strong, athletic and very court smart. A main asset of Drouin’s is that they have three extremely gifted goalers. Charlize Traumanis is tall and very accurate. She is a current U19s state goaler who played extremely well last time we played them. If we focus too much on MJ, we’ll just leave ourselves vulnerable to Charlize beating us. Of course, Stacie Gardner is a league legend who has won multiple league B&Fs playing in goals herself. If she puts herself in there we have a completely different looking goal circle. We are taking a holistic view towards their attacking end.
LD: How have you made it all work this year with so many players coming in and out?
AM: It’s been a very challenging year with players coming and going all year. We have viewed it as an incredible opportunity to give juniors as well as some of our promising B Grade players opportunities. They have all stepped up, and in all honesty, it has made the A and B grade squads even closer. I’ve really enjoyed it.
LD: A few players have really stepped up this season, Jordan Pyle especially?
AM: It would be easy to say that Jordy has been a revelation, but internally, we don’t see it like that. She has always historically played the back half of the season being an elite basketballer. This is our first season having her from Round 1. She is as athletically gifted as any player in the league, but what people don’t realise is how competitive she is. With our defensive end taking a hit due to pregnancy and injury, she has held the back end of the team together. I made the decision to make her co-captain with Macy Gardiner after Mace went down with her injury at Round 9. She (Pyle) has elite leadership skills and is probably one of the most popular players at the club. Considering netball is her second sport, she is a marvel.
LD: How much has it changed the way you play losing defender Liv Barnett, whose athleticism is just about unmatched?
AM: We were really concerned when Liv went down. We have relied on her so heavily the last few years. Her footwork and ability to read the play is brilliant, along with her attacking drive in transition probably the best in the league. I don’t think even now we have really replaced her. How do you? We’ve just coped as best we can. To her credit, Liv has coached our U17 team, and will be playing an integral coaching role with our defenders on Saturday. She has been assisting me with defensive structures which as an attacking midcourter, aren’t my strong suit.
LD: Were you always planning to have Ramayer Keilty back in time for finals or more hopeful?
AM: Ray always said she wanted to come back. For such a beautiful laidback person, she has a real determination about her that surprises even me sometimes. To be honest, I planned for her not to comeback and thought maybe if she did she’d play B or C Grade. When dad (Moe assistant coach Peter Moody) suggested that to her, we laughed at how offended Ray looked at the suggestion. She has played some outstanding netball since her comeback, and always seems to play well in grand finals. She is a joy to have around the team with her gorgeous little baby boy Arlo.
LD: Given the constant ins and outs, do you count finishing on top of the ladder as one of your greatest achievements?
AM: At the start of the year, with the level of disruption, missing our two circle goalers (Georgia Moody and Ash Mawer), then our star defender (Barnett), then our captain in Macy, I was completely uncertain as to how we would go. We had no control of it. We simply aimed to play finals and hoped that the group would eventually come together and would be fit and available for finals. It’s been some of the most enjoyable netball I’ve been involved in this year. It’s tested me as a coach and our resilience as a group. Finishing on top has probably given us even more confidence of what we can achieve. Whilst I’m proud of that achievement, the shine wears off if we can’t get the job done this Saturday.
LD: The injuries and unavailability’s have created opportunities for others. How great has it been to reward a player like Meg Morris with promotion?
AM: Promoting Meg into the team from B Grade has been one of the enjoyments I’ve been referring to about the journey of this year. She probably didn’t expect it, but she fit the profile of what we wanted from a WD. She is so popular around the club – a local girl who came through juniors who appears to be thriving in the A Grade environment. She makes the most of every week she plays with us. She loves being part of the group and we love having her. She’s like a sponge, just constantly wanting to learn. If we do manage to win Saturday, seeing the smile on Meg’s face winning an A Grade premiership would be a main highlight.
LD: Any advice for the footballers about grand finals given you’ve been and done it four times?
AM: I would never be so arrogant as to think I could give the footballers any advice! Maybe just win the bloody thing haha. They’ve had a fantastic season and winning the senior flag will create a party that Gippsland has probably never seen the likes of.
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GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
THERE will be at least one local derby on Gippsland League grand final day.
Morwell and Traralgon are set to clash in the C Grade netball decider.
The Maroons will take home court billing, but the Tigers are the first named team, having won through to the grand final via a week’s rest.
Morwell finished third on the home-and-away ladder, but knocked the top two sides, Moe and Drouin, out of finals in successive weeks.
Traralgon has come from fourth to make the grand final, and survived a few scares in doing so.
The Maroons won the elimination final by two goals, and the first semi-final by three.
Morwell will be out to avenge last year’s grand final defeat, after losing just one game before the premiership decider.
The Tigers have retained four players from the 2025 grand final (Erin Barlow, Nadine Soutar, Mikayla Couling and Jacinta Tipping), and welcomed back centre Lily Campbell for the first time since 2023. Alana Weston is also back after a year off, while Maeve Knowles has graduated from the 17 and under team.
Soutar played her 300th senior game this season, and a premiership would bookend a mighty career. She played in the club’s first-ever C Grade flag in 2009.
Traralgon has come good late, winning its last nine games. The Maroons also handed Morwell a 13-goal defeat just before finals in Round 17.
The Maroons boast no shortage of experience through the likes of Rebecca Duddington (350 games) and Nicole Jennings (more than 250).
Both are former A Grade champions, now helping the next generation.
Speaking of which, Traralgon will be represented in all junior grand finals.
The Maroons play Bairnsdale in the 17 and under, Leongatha in the 15s and Maffra in the 13s.
Morwell’s 13 and under side put in a brave effort in the preliminary final at the weekend. The Tigers fell just seven goals short in what was a watershed finals campaign. Morwell had never made finals in that grade before, and came from fifth to get within one game of a grand final.
The B Grade grand final will see minor premier Leongatha take on Drouin.
The Hawks are also in the A Grade grand final, after beating the Parrots 65 to 47 in last Saturday’s preliminary final at Sale Oval.
Drouin is opposed to Moe, whose job may become easier if star Hawks shooter Mwai Kumwenda is unavailable.
In something that could not have been timed more to perfection, the African qualifiers for next year’s World Cup start this Saturday (September 19).
Kumwenda, who plays for the Malawi national team, may therefore be on higher duty.
Drouin has reportedly offered to pay for her flights – Peter Hudson style – in order for her to play in the local grand final.
A high-ranking Moe netball coach said they wanted to play Drouin at full strength.
“Would be devastating for the league as she (Kumwenda) would be netball’s biggest drawcard,” they said.
