BY NATHAN DOLE
Pyramid blocks Mitiamo’s run at A-grade netball title
PYRAMID Hill is blocking Mitiamo’s run at being the Bendigo Bank Loddon Valley FNL’s A-grade netball champion this Saturday.
The Bulldogs and Superoos will play on John Forbes Oval in Mitiamo from 3.15pm.
It’s the competition’s top two at the end of the home-and-away series who will clash for premiership glory.
Runner-up to Maiden Gully YCW Eagles in the past two grand finals, Mitiamo will be desperate to claim its first A-grade premiership since 2019.
The Superoos were outplayed 61-53 by the Christie Griffiths-coached Eagles in 2022, and last September it was the Adam Boldiston-coached Eagles which won a 52-49 thriller.
It’s been seven years since Pyramid Hill reigned supreme on the Loddon Valley courts.
This season’s meetings between Pyramid Hill and Mitiamo stand at two-one in favour of the Bulldogs.
The Chelsea Emmerson-coached Pyramid Hill marked a 54-49 victory on Mitiamo’s court in the fifth round.
It was the Superoos who bounced back in a 49-43 win at Pyramid Hill’s Mitchell Park in the 14th round.
A 15-1 record meant the Jen Wilson-coached Mitiamo ended the home-and-away series on top of the ladder.
As the Superoos put their feet up on week one of the finals series, Pyramid Hill marked a 44-41 win against Newbridge in the qualifying final.
The second semi-final between Mitiamo and Pyramid Hill at Bridgewater ended in a 55-46 victory for the red, white and blue.
The Superoos kept premiership hopes alive by winning last Saturday’s preliminary final against Bridgewater at Inglewood by 20 goals.
Pyramid Hill’s run in ’24:
Rd 1: d Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, 60-45 at Serpentine.
Rd 2: d Calivil United, 50-11 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 3: d Marong, 64-44 at Malone Park.
Rd 4: d Bridgewater, 53-39 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 5: d Mitiamo, 54-49 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 6: bye.
Rd 7: lt Newbridge, 38-40 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 8: d Inglewood, 79-16 at Inglewood.
Rd 9: d Maiden Gully YCW, 58-41 at Marist College.
Rd 10: lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, 35-40 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 11: d Calivil United, 74-29 at Calivil.
Rd 12: d Marong, 61-55 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 13: d Bridgewater, 53-31 at Bridgewater.
Rd 14: lt Mitiamo, 43-49 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 15: bye.
Rd 16: d Newbridge, 48-45 at Newbridge.
Rd 17: d Inglewood, 52-15 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 18: d Maiden Gully YCW, 60-49 at Mitchell Park.
Qualifying final: d Newbridge, 44-41 at Marist College.
2nd semi-final: d Mitiamo, 55-46 at Bridgewater.
Mitiamo’s run in ’24:
Rd 1: d Marong, 76-38 at Marong.
Rd 2: bye.
Rd 3: d Maiden Gully YCW, 57-34 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 4: d Calivil United, 87-21 at Calivil.
Rd 5: lt Pyramid Hill, 49-54 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 6: d Inglewood, 81-17 at Inglewood.
Rd 7: d Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, 66-43 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 8: d Bridgewater, 53-40 at Bridgewater.
Rd 9: d Newbridge, 67-45 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 10: d Marong, 57-34 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 11: bye.
Rd 12: d Maiden Gully YCW, 70-49 at Marist College.
Rd 13: d Calivil United, 89-37 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 14: d Pyramid Hill, 49-43 at Mitchell Park.
Rd 15: d Inglewood, 70-23 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 16: d Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, 72-51 at Serpentine.
Rd 17: d Bridgewater, 45-43 at John Forbes Oval.
Rd 18: d Newbridge, 68-37 at Newbridge.
2nd semi-final: lt Pyramid Hill, 46-55 at Bridgewater.
Preliminary final: d Bridgewater, 50-30 at Inglewood.
In the B-grade competition, Newbridge takes on Marong from 1.30pm on court one.
It’s one-all in this season’s meetings between the teams who had win-loss tallies of 14-2.
Newbridge won 43-31 on its court at Walker’s Doughnuts Riverside Oval in round two, and marong won 52-36 at East West Oval in Malone Park in the 11th round.
After finishing on top of the ladder on a 14-2 record, Newbridge marked a 56-37 victory against Pyramid Hill in the second semi-final.
Marong’s finals campaign began with a 49-51 loss to Pyramid Hill in the qualifying final.
The Panthers struck back to beat Bridgewater by six goals in the first semi-final.
In another showdown with Pyramid Hill, Marong clawed its way to a 44-40 victory in last Saturday’s preliminary final at Centre State Scaffolding Oval in Inglewood.
In C-grade it will be Bridgewater against Marong from 11.45am on court two.
The Bridgewater line-up won both clashes with the Panthers in the home-and-away series.
In round six the Mean Machine won 48-47 at Marong’s Malone Park.
Bridgewater beat the Panthers, 40-33 in the 15th round.
It will be a fourth consecutive weekend Marong’s team takes to the court.
The Panthers won the elimination final against Maiden Gully YCW by 29 goals and then marked a five-goal win against Newbridge in the first-semi final.
Marong fought on for a 36-35 win against Pyramid Hill in the preliminary final.
Bridgewater tipped off its finals series by scoring a 10-goal victory in the qualifying final against Newbridge.
The Mean Machine was first to the grand final after a 29-20 win against Pyramid Hill in the second semi-final.
In C-reserve, Maiden Gully YCW Eagles will be aiming to fly high against Marong on court two from 1.30pm.
The grand finalists met in Reconciliation Round.
On that day the Panthers won 48-20 on the Eagles’ court at Marist College as the league marked its seventh round.
Just three goals separated the teams in round 16 as the Panthers won 41-38 in their den in Malone Park.
A 15-1 record put Marong on top of the ladder at the end of the home-and-away series.
Maiden Gully YCW followed up a 41-26 win against Newbridge in the qualifying final by winning the second semi-final against Marong, 35-34.
The Panthers struck back for a 33-26 result against Bridgewater in the preliminary final.
Having fought their way from a qualifying final, Marong and Calivil United meet in the 17-and-under grand final from 10am on court one.
Honours when these teams met on day one of the finals series at Marist College in Maiden Gully went the way of the Demons, 53-50.
A week later and Calivil United scored a 45-36 win against Bridgewater in the second semi-final.
Marong hit back from the qualifying final to beat Pyramid Hill in the first semi-final by 30 goals.
The Panthers won the preliminary final showdown with Bridgewater by two goals.
In the home-and-away series, Marong won at Calivil in round five by 12 goals.
The Demons fired up for a 48-42 victory in the 14th round on Marong’s court.
In the 15-and-under competition, Bridgewater and Calivil United meet in the grand final from 11.45am on court one.
Calivil United won 47-36 at home in the ninth round.
The round 18 was a thriller as the Demons held on for a 53-51 victory on Bridgewater’s court.
Bridgewater won the qualifying final against Maiden Gully by 12 goals.
A week later and the Mean Machine powered to a 49-42 victory against Calivil United in the second semi-final.
Stung by its first defeat of the season, Calivil United hit back for a 50-27 victory against Maiden Gully YCW in the preliminary final.
Among the teams first-up on grand final day will be Marong’s and Calivil United’s 13-and-under squads on court two at 10am.
It was one-all in the run to the finals as both teams had win-loss records of 13-1.
Calivil United won 20-18 in the fifth round, and Marong marked a 24-21 win in the 14th round at Malone Park.
The Demons won the qualifying final against Inglewood by 10 goals, but a week later it was Marong which beat the red and blue in the second semi-final by two goals.
Calivil United scored a 33-21 win against Inglewood in the preliminary final to earn another shot against the Panthers.
Schedule for the Loddon Valley netball grand finals on Saturday at John Forbes Oval, Mitiamo:
17-and-under, court one at 10am: Calivil United v Marong.
13-and-under, court two at 10am: Marong v Calivil United.
15-and-under, court one at 11.45am: Bridgewater v Calivil United.
C-grade, court two at 11.45am: Bridgewater v Marong.
B-grade, court one at 1.30pm: Newbridge v Marong.
C-reserve, court two at 1.30pm: Maiden Gully YCW v Marong.
A-grade, court one at 3.15pm: Pyramid Hill v Mitiamo.