Netball
27 June, 2025
Thunder fall just short against Roos
What a privilege it is to coach kids who love netball as much as Southern Mallee Thunder's Moddies do.
If you were lucky enough to catch some of this game, you know how much joy flowed through the court and sidelines.
They were warmed up and ready to go before I had arrived and their energy did not dwindle.
Marley opened the score board early with two goals and was quick to add the title of GOAT to the first quarter.
Tamani showed, yet again, a growing sense of play and made excellent leads.
Ariat ducked and weaved her way down the court helping her team out from end to end.
Ruby gave her all with some ripper moves and passes and showing us the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Elodie meant business and gave a performance highlighting mammoth improvement.
Hayden might be the quietest, but he was super speedy and in front of his player all game.
Evie gave us a lesson in defence, intercepting many balls throughout the game.
Daisy showed us just how much she has improved with steadier feet and a huge intercept in defence.
Alliannah works as hard as anyone and even tried to catch a ball while lying on the floor!
Elsie scored her first goal today with a very proud dad cheering from the sidelines!
Awards: Mealsbox - Alliannah Castleman.
What didn’t this girl do in today’s game? She was on fire in defence, shot two goals and chased loose balls. She was everywhere someone needed her. What a start to moddies!!
Thunder Canteen - Elsie Stasinowsky. Elsie is a quiet achiever who always tries her best. She works so hard to improve her skills based on feedback given and never hides from a challenge. I’m sure today’s goal will be the first of many!
Thanks, Stef for umpiring and guiding everyone through the rules during play.
Also, a big thank you to our Grade 5 and 6s for showing excellent sportsmanship, stepping aside this week and turning up to support the younger kids - I am proud of the way you approach your netball.
UNDER 13s
, where the A Grade netballers supported and mentored the 13 and Under’s – and what a day it turned out to be!
From the first whistle, Thunder made a strong impression, capitalising on some early turnovers thanks to the defensive brilliance of Pippa Fisher, Emma Saul, Elka Huf and Amelia Brain.
Our goalies, Ava Puckle and Felicity Keller – the ever-improving dynamic duo – applied new positional strategies in the ring, showing growth and composure under pressure.
Midcourt stars Pippa Shannon and Sophie Frankel kept the momentum going, consistently getting hands to the ball and creating opportunities.
The quarter-time break saw our A Grade mentors deliver some fantastic feedback, which inspired the younger girls to lift even further, proving how much they wanted the win.
The second quarter was a defensive masterclass – Dimboola was kept scoreless for the full 12 minutes as our girls held tight and played with intensity and purpose.
At halftime, the energy in the huddle was electric – full of pride and determination.
Awards: Bow Bakery: Emma Saul, despite a height disadvantage against her goal shooter, never backed down and fought hard all game. Warrack Electrical & Refrigeration award: Felicity Keller she showed excellent depth and decision-making, coming out strong for the ball and guiding her teammates. Wimmera Mallee Waste Towel: Elka’s reading of the play and ring setups from Wing Defence were spot-on, causing disruption after disruption.
A special mention coaches award went to Adalyn, whose growth as a young player continues to impress. She took on her mentor’s advice brilliantly – holding her timing, reading the ball well, and making confident leads.
The girls finished strong with a convincing 38–11 victory and a well-earned percentage boost.
A huge thank you to Emma Mill for organising the Buddy Round, also to the grade six girls who rotate through each week that didn’t get a game this week. Thank you must go to the A graders who support our younger teams your presence, encouragement, and guidance are making a real difference.
Final score: SM Thunder 38 defeated Dimboola 11
Awards: Emma Saul, Felicity Keller, Elka Huf, Adalyn Clugston
UNDER 15s
With the B Grade team cheering loudly from the sidelines, the 15’s girls hit the court full of energy and played with absolute heart from the first whistle to the last.
Our defensive unit – Liv, Addi, Dakota, and Makenzie – were outstanding all day, picking up intercepts, applying relentless pressure, and providing constant voice and options down the court.
Lilly Puckle was an absolute standout in Centre, running the entire game in top gear.
Her defensive efforts and brilliant intercepts created numerous opportunities and kept the momentum going.
Up forward, Amaya, Giann, Luca, Ruby, and Lily S continued to apply pressure, working hard for every opportunity and showing real determination to convert under pressure.
Best Players: Lilly Puckle – for her incredible work rate, relentless pressure, and game-changing intercepts. Luca Landrigan – for a confident, composed performance in goals, shooting accurately from all over the circle.
Final score: Dimboola 31 defeated SM Thunder 22
UNDER 17's
The girls had a very strong game today, putting their absolute all on the court, however the Roo’s were just too strong, losing 22 – 68.
The girls really loved having their buddies beside the court watching and having someone to specifically give them advice at the breaks, and all of them took on the advice from their buddies extremely well.
Best this week went to Rachael Camilleri, who had an exceedingly great game in the attacking end picking up loose balls, moving in the ring brilliantly and even scoring herself 14 goals.
Second went to Esther Kelly, who had a wonderful game all over the court, getting heaps of intercepts and helping the play to flow extremely well.
Final score: Dimboola 68 defeated SM Thunder 22
Awards: Rachael Camilleri, Esther Kelly
C GRADE
Blue clear skies greeted us for round 9 vs Dimboola.
Our junior buddies lined the court and created an amazing atmosphere - credit to Emma Mill for organising.
Dimboola started off very strong this week which left us trailing.
Clarissa, Hailey and Kiara created some great defensive pressure to try and shut down some sharp moving from the Roos.
The introduction of Rachael Watson in GS provided some great direction.
Rotations in the centre from Kate and Kat gave us fresh legs and some much needed spark.
After a slow first three quarters, Thunder came alive in the last but ultimately left their run too late.
Final score: Dimboola 35 defeated SM Thunder 22
Awards: Hailey Yorke, Clarissa Bigham
B GRADE
Thunder delivered a dominant performance on Saturday, securing a convincing win over Dimboola.
Thunder came out firing from the first whistle, setting the tone with a cracking start that saw them quickly take control of the game.
Their strong defensive pressure across the court forced multiple turnovers, with many intercepts.
The mid-court transitioned the ball with precision, feeding it smoothly into the goal ring.
Thunder’s shooters capitalised with impressive accuracy, converting chances consistently throughout the match.
Leading at every break, Thunder never let their grip on the game slip, maintaining intensity and composure right to the end.
Final score: SM Thunder 67 defeated Dimboola 42
Awards: Tia Credlin, Macey Huf
A GRADE
The team came out firing, delivering our best quarter of the season to kick things off.
We played some really solid netball across the court, with our defence putting in a tremendous effort all day to keep the pressure on.
The centre court provided plenty of drive, consistently pushing the ball forward and setting up opportunities.
Our goalies worked hard to convert those chances and keep us in the contest.
Despite our strong start and determined effort throughout, we came up against a fierce opposition who never let up.
In a tightly contested match, they managed to edge ahead in the final moments, taking the win by just five goals at the final whistle.
Thank you to our 13 & Under buddies for showing us so much support on the sidelines. We absolutely loved having you right there amongst it!
Final score: Dimboola 58 defeated SM Thunder 53
Awards: Steph Thomson – shot with confidence and accuracy all game. Codie Sanford – was relentless in the WA position, working tirelessly to link defence and attack.
