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HISTORY IN RED AND WHITE
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GRIFFITH SWANS NETBALL FIXTURES - 2023
R1 - April 15 (H) Mangoplah-CUE - A Grade: won 43-42, A Reserve: lost 39-43, B Grade: won 41-27, C Grade: won 45-27, U17: won 44-30.
R2 - April 22 (a) Ganmain-GGM - A Grade: won 46-53, A Reserve: won 43-56, B Grade: won 42-46, C Grade: won 28-49, U17: won 24-43.
R4 - May 6 (a) Leeton-Whitton - A Grade: won 38-68, A Reserve: won 44-54, B Grade: won 46-56, C Grade: won 28-47, U17: lost 41-40.
R5 - May 13 (a) Narrandera - A Grade: won 33-86, A Reserve: won 49-72, B Grade: won 18-68, C Grade: won 26-52, U17: won 26-42.
R6 - May 20 (a) Turvey Park - A Grade: won 24-46, A Reserve: lost 47-43, B Grade: lost 41-26, C Grade: won 31-45, U17: lost 42-30.
R7 - May 28 (H) Coolamon Rovers - A grade: lost 41-44, A Reserve: won 44-23, B Grade: won 35-28, C Grade: won 40-29, U17: won 44-29.
R8 - Jun 3 (H) Collingullie-GP - A Grade: won 45-37, A Reserve: won 49-25, B Grade: won 39-16, C Grade: won 50-17, U17: won 48-9.
R9 - June 17 (a) Wagga Tigers - A Grade: won 34-46, A Reserve: won 41-51, B Grade: won 40-45, C Grade: won 21-50, U17: lost 48-46.
R10 - June 24 (H) Leeton-Whitton - A Grade: 51-27, A Reserve: won 51-27, B Grade: won 49-19, C Grade: won 48-22, U17: won 46-37.
R12 - July 8 (a) Mangoplah-CUE - A Grade: lost 51-47, A Reserve: lost 59-42, B Grade: lost 38-26, C Grade: won 18-51, U17: won 36-10.
R13 - July 15 (H) Turvey Park - A Grade: won 56-18, A Reserve: won 43-37, B Grade: won 29-23, C Grade: won 44-26, U17: lost 19-38.
R14 - July 22 (a) Coolamon Rovers - A Grade: draw 45-45, A Reserve: won 21-41, B Grade: won 34-42, C Grade: draw 34-34, U17: lost 32-27.
R15 - July 29 (H) Ganmain-GGM - A Grade: won 59-27, A Reserve: won 49-33, B Grade: won 40-34, C Grade: won 35-28, U17: wo 62-20.
R16 - August 5 (H) Narrandera - A Grade: won 101-13, A Reserve: won 79-17, B Grade: won 71-8, C Grade: won 64-8, U17: lost 22-24.
R17 - August 12 (a) Collingullie-GP - A Grade: won 32-53, A Reserve: won 36-46, B Grade: won 24-50, C Grade: won 21-45, U17: won 24-67.
R18 - August 19 (H) Wagga Tigers - A Grade: won 49-31, A Reserve: won 50-24, B Grade: won 44-38, C Grade: won 46-30, U17: lost 42-45.
2023 RFNL NETBALL Ladders
A grade: Mangoplah-CUE 30, Coolamon, 27, Griffith 27, Collingullie-GP 18, Wagga Tigers 16; Ganmain-GGM 12, Turvey Park 6, Leeton-Whitton 6, Narrandera 2.
A Reserve: Mangoplah-CUE 31, Griffith 26, Turvey Park 24, Wagga Tigers 23, Coolamon 14; Collingullie-GP 12, Leeton-Whitton 6, Ganmain-GGM 4, Narrandera 4.
B grade: Turvey Park 28, Griffith 28, Wagga Tigers 23, Mangoplah-CUE 19, Ganmain-GGM 17; Coolamon 14, Leeton-Whitton 9, Collingullie-GP 6, Narrandera 0.
C grade: Griffith 31, Coolamon 23, Wagga Tigers 18, Mangoplah-CUE 18, Collingullie-GP 15; Ganmain-GGM 14, Turvey Park 14, Leeton-Whitton 7, Narrandera 4.
Under 17: Turvey Park 32, Wagga Tigers 26, Griffith 20, Leeton-Whitton 20, Mangoplah-CUE 14; Coolamon 14, Ganmain-GGM 10, Narrandera 8, Collingullie-GP 0.
2023 RFNL FINAL SERIES
August 26: QF @ Narrandera - A Grade: Coolamon 54 def Griffith 42, A Reserve: Griffith 40 def by Turvey Park 56, B Grade: Griffith 53 def Wagga Tigers 35, C Grade: Coolamon 36 def Wagga Tigers 20, U17: Wagga Tigers 46 def Griffith 34.
August 27: EF @ Robertson Oval - A Grade: Collingullie-GP 46 def Wagga Tigers 32, A Reserve: Wagga Tigers 50 def Coolamon 30, B Grade: Mangoplah-CUE 43 def Ganmain-GGM 31, C Grade: Mangoplah-CUE 26 def by Collingullie-GP 34, U17: Leeton-Whitton 37 def by Mangoplah 38.
Sept 2: QF2 @ Narrandera - A Grade: Mangoplah-CUE 66 def Coolamon 45, A Reserve: Mangoplah-CUE 51 def Turvey Park 46, B Grade: Turvey Park 32 def by Griffith 42, C Grade: Griffith 41 def Coolamon 33, U17: Turvey Park 47 def Wagga Tigers 38.
Sept 3: SF1 @ Narrandera - A Grade: Griffith 43 def Collingullie-GP 36, A Reserve: Griffith 39 def by Wagga Tigers 50, B Grade: Wagga Tigers 38 def by Mangoplah-CUE 42, C Grade: Wagga Tigers 29 def Collingullie-GP 26, U17: Griffith 49 def Mangoplah-CUE 38.
Sept 10: PF @ Robertson Oval - A Grade: Coolamon 36 def by Griffith 42, A Reserve: Turvey Park 37 def by Wagga Tigers 45, B Grade: Turvey Park 34 def Mangoplah-CUE 28, C Grade: Coolamon 34 def Wagga Tigers 19, U17: Wagga Tigers 39 def Griffith 36.
Sept 16: Grand Final @ Narrandera - A Grade: Mangoplah-CUE 56 def Griffith 38 (BOC-Ash Reynoldson), A Reserve: Mangoplah-CUE 45 def Wagga Tigers 41 (BOC-Sophie Edmunds), B Grade: Griffith 30 def Turvey Park 29 (BOC-Myah Sergi), C Grade: Griffith 41 def Coolamon 32 (BOC-Sara Negus), Under 17: Turvey Park 43 def Wagga Tigers 32 (BOC-Zoe Curry).
WE'RE READY'; GRIFFITH HOPE TO END MCUE A GRADE REIGN - by Tahlia Sinclair.
WITH three netball teams and their first-grade football all vying for premierships this Saturday, there's a good feeling around the club at the Swans. Georgia Fuller said the vibes among not only the A grade playing group, but across the whole club as they look to bring home four premierships on Saturday.
Having fallen short in last year's preliminary final, Fuller said the side is cherishing the opportunity to play in a grand final, knowing the opportunity doesn't come around often. "We've got three netball sides in grand final and our footy side as well, so the vibe around the club is great, everyone's pumped up," Fuller said. "It's sort of a reward for all the effort not just from this year but over the past few years, so it is definitely exciting."
"I think we were definitely disappointed last year; we've come close for the last however many years and it's not easy to make a grand final, we're very appreciative of that. "Now we're here and we're in this moment, it's not over yet, we've got a lot of work to do on the weekend and we'll be going in as hot as we can because we know grand finals don't come easy."
While excitement continues to build around the club, Fuller said the side is doing what they can to keep some normality in their game preparations. Maintaining their regular Tuesday gym and Thursday court sessions, Fuller admitted there has been plenty of excitement still despite sticking to their usual routine. "We have our last training (Thursday), we've kept the week like how we've trained all year, we've done the same sort of thing as usual, I'm sure Joh has some court specific stuff planned but we're just continuing to work through our basics," she said. (The Daily Advertiser - Friday September 15, 2023).
B AND C GRADE NETBALL SIDES CHASE FLAGS - by Liam Warren
THE Griffith Swans will be hoping to make a strong start to their grand final day when their lower-grade netball sides take to the court on Saturday in Narrandera. It has been a strong season for the C and B grade sides, who will be looking to finish their 2023 seasons with premierships that have been a long time coming for the club.
For C Grade, it will be a case of closing out what has been an undefeated season so far in 2023. The Swans have only dropped a single point in the C Grade all season, which came in the form of a draw against this week's opponents, Coolamon. Outside of that 34-all draw in round 14, the Swans have been hard to catch in the competition and will go into this weekend's as favourites to take home the flag, which will be their first since 2010, when they defeated Leeton-Whitton 40-36. The Griffith side will head in with confidence, knowing that they were able to take a 41-32 win over the Rovers in the Qualifying Final to advance to the decider.
The B Grade side has been fighting with Turvey Park for the top position all season, and the two will face off once more on the final day of the season. The two regular season fixtures saw both sides take a win off each other before the Swans were able to secure passage into the grand final with a 42-32 win in the Qualifying Final. If they were able to bring home the flag, it would be the first one in B Grade since 2006. (The Area News - Friday September 15, 2023).
MUNRO TAKES HOME BEST AND FAIREST MEDAL - by Tahlia Sinclair
IN JUST her first full season playing in the Riverina League, Johannah Munro has won the Riverina League Netball A grade best and fairest medal. The Griffith defender joined the club midway through the 2022 season and took on the playing coach role in 2023. Munro polled in all but three she played this season, earning a massive 32 votes across 16 games. Still in finals contention, Munro said last week that she loved playing with the Griffith side and is hoping to take them through to this year's grand final.
Alongside runner up Ash Reynoldson (MCUE, 29 votes), Munro sailed through the votes with third placed Tameka Scott (Collingullie-Glenfield Park) earning 19 votes. An ex-professional player, Munro has lifted the Griffith program to another level, working not only with the A grade side but enjoying involvement with the whole club. Not only taking home the medal, but Munro was also named both keeper and coach in the Riverina League team of the year.
It was a successful evening for the Swans, with Isabella Cavallaro named Kathryn 'Foxy' Bechaz medallist as best and fairest under 17's player. In the B grade competition, Swans Lyndzi Cornale was joint medal winner with Turvey Park's Charlotte Niuila after they each polled 16 votes throughout the season.
Also sharing a medal were Mischa Garrod (Turvey Park) and Sophie Edmunds (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes) who after collecting 24 votes were named joint A reserve best and fairest players.
In C grade count, Wagga Tigers' Lucy Howard was awarded for her outstanding season.
Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong Emily McPherson received the rising star award. McPherson played 10 games in her first year competing in the Riverina League A grade competition, juggling Lions games with representative duties.
Alongside Munro, eleven players were named in the team of the year, with six of the nine clubs represented. Munro was joined by fellow Swans Georgia Fuller (captain) as wing attack, Jenna Richards (interchange), Collingullie-GP playing coach Olivia Jolliffe (vice-captain) in goal defence, Hannah Finemore. Mangoplah-CUE's Ash Reynoldson, Phoebe Wallace and Ash Moller were named on the court in wing defence, centre and goal shooter, Shannon Russell on the bench.
Sarah Hillier (Coolamon) was named in goal attack, Jess Allan (Wagga Tigers) and Prue Walsh (Ganmain-GGM) were named interchange. (The Daily Advertiser - Thursday September 7, 2023).
SWANS FEROCITY OFF THE BALL SECURE NETBALL VICTORY - By Liam Warren
THE Griffith Swans have rebounded quickly after their first defeat of the season, coming away with a 45-37 win over Collingullie at Exies Oval.
It was a tight opening before a couple of turnovers forced by the Swans in the mid-court, and defence had them out to a 4-goal lead at the first change. The Swans were again able to make a strong start to the second term, but the Demons fought back hard in the late stages to see the sides locked at 21-all at halftime. The turnovers by their defenders were becoming the signature of the Swans' game as they were able to score points from the breaks to take a five-goal lead into the final break. While it was an even start to the final quarter, the Swans were able to break away one final time to secure a 45-37 win over the Demons.
Coach Jon Munro was pleased with the way her side reacted after losing their first game of the season last weekend to Coolamon.
"It was another tough game, and we knew it would be coming into it," she said. "We had to stay focused and go back to what our strengths are, which is our ball movement. I was pleased to be able to grind that game out and recover. "Last week, we probably dropped off a bit in the second half, so it was nice to be able to maintain throughout.
Munro said her side was focusing on their pressure off the ball as much as they could and was pleased to see that come into practice. "That is the big focus for us, that one-on-one pressure and staying in play as much as possible so that we can force the pressure and the turnover," she said. "We had to work really hard, and I think we did that really well."
Jenna Richards had a strong performance in the shooting circle scoring 32 goals of the Swans' 45 goals, and the Swan's coach continues to be impressed with her consistent improvement. "She has been getting better throughout the season, and I have loved watching her develop," she said. "She's such a strong and dependable player for us."
It was an impressive weekend across the court with yet another clean sweep, the Swans third of the season.
A reserve was able to come away with a 49-25 win over the Demons, which keeps them well and truly in the hunt for a top-three positions, just currently just three points behind Turvey Park. B Grade has stayed just a win behind Turvey Park after 39-16 victory, while the C Graders have maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 50-17 win. The Under 17s rounded off the day with a 48-9 win to stay equal second. (The Area News - Friday June 9, 2023).
SWANS END GOANNAS UNBEATEN A GRADE NETBALL RUN - by Tahlia Sinclair
GRIFFITH have handed Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes their first loss in over 12 months.
In a tight round one game, the Swans held on by a goal to win 43-42. Coach Joh Munro said they had their work cut out for them and were pushed to the last second by the 2022 premiers. "It went up and down, we were sitting three or four goals behind most of the game and then we'd come back and get level and then they'd go ahead again," Munro said. "It was just a great, hard-fought tussle from both teams, and we worked very hard at it and were up at the end of the game."
Momentum ebbed and flowed through the game, with turnovers helping each side have runs on the scoreboard. Before the season start Munro spoke with her side about playing four quarters of netball and pushing themselves to the final whistle.
With hopes to see improvements on utilising turnovers and capitalising on their centre passes this season, Swans have started their year responding well to their new coach. "We spoke about the fact Mango have some great defenders, and they love to turn the ball over, so how do we try and minimise their impacts as much as possible," she said. "That required us to do the work and keep the ball nice and short and sharp and low to the ground, and it takes a lot of work and commitment to do that.
"I thought our attack end did that really well, they did a lot of work just bringing the ball down and being really disciplined to then feed it into the goalers." Georgia Fuller had a strong game in wing attack, while Tahlia Quinn provided good pace in the centre in her debut A grade appearance.
Griffith last win over MCUE was in round three, 2021, when they also defeated Goannas by a goal.
Munro said focusing on the game at hand and not giving Mango the win before they took the court. "We were always aware it was going to be a really big challenge, but I was really confident in what we'd done in the preseason and really confident in the girls' implementation of it," she said.
Munro said the round one win has provided them with a solid foundation heading into the season.
It was a strong start to the season for the lower grades as well. The under 17's got the good times rolling with a 42-30 victory and the C Graders were able to keep up the momentum going as they picked up 21-goal victory. B Grade made it three wins from three games to start the day with a 41-27 victory before the Swans A reserve fell to a 43-39 defeat. (The Area News - Friday April 21, 2023).
