A MATCH-WINNING quarter time by Shepparton’s A grade netball brains-trust turned the 2025 Goulburn Valley League grand final on its ear on Sunday – and landed the Bears their first-ever GVL A grade premiership.
The Bears, unbeaten all season – apart from a last round draw with Seymour – and a favourite going into the game, led by just one goal at the first break.
They had started the game with Keeley O’Dwyer and Molly Kennedy in the key defensive posts, opposed to 1000-goal Euroa shooter Olivia Morris and passing guru Mia Sudomirski. Morris shot 9 goals in the first term, matching the output of Bears star Kim Borger at the other end.
At quarter time, however, Bears captain Hannah Crawley came onto the court and turned the tide in her team’s favour – not single-handedly, of course, but Morris managed just five second quarter goals as the Bears went on a scoring spree.
The second quarter was won by the Bears 19-6, with Borger banging home 14 goals on the back of a magnificent passing display from vice captain Sophie Harmer.
Harmer would go on to be named Most Valuable Player in the grand final, shooting 16 goals for the game and helping Borger to a 46 goal game.
At half time, courtesy of the second term blitz, the Bears led 32-17.
Shepparton’s strong start came on the back of Borger and Molly Kennedy, the latter dominant with her rebounding, while Euroa relied on the accurate shooting of Morris.
Erin Scott came onto the court for stints in the second, third and last quarters for the Bears, while the only other change was Ruby Higgins coming onto the court for the last couple of minutes of the game.
Harmer and Borger’s understanding in the ring was a site, while Crawley never looked back after coming onto the court and kept Morris to 15 second half goals (10 of those in a third term where the Magpies were outscored by just three).
Euroa responded in the second half through Hollie Reid, who was their best contributor for the second half, though the reigning premier was under constant pressure across the court.
Reid played the entire game in centre, with Sam Kreltszheim coming onto the court in the second term and working with Sophie Owens and Eliza Hoare to attempt to stop the Bears onslaught.
The third quarter continued in Shepparton’s favour, Harmer and Crawley again influential, the latter turning defence into attack with her intercepting. Shepp’s defensive pressure was impressive across the whole court, while Euroa struggled to maintain fluency under the constant intensity.
By the final quarter, Shepparton had gained complete control. Their defensive unit was superb, and their goalers combined seamlessly to dominate the scoreboard.
Borger and Crawley again stood out, while Kennedy continued to rebound strongly. For Euroa, Morris and Reid battled hard, but the side struggled under sustained Shepparton pressure.
