Saints start title defence

BY MICHAEL SCALZO Edenhope-Apsley netball-

ers will have in their back pocket the knowledge that even a slow start last season was unable to stop their successful premiership charge.

The Saints claimed a remarkable 2022 Horsham District league premiership, defeating the league’s reigning premiers Laharum by just two goals in the grand final

The premiers’ lethargic start to last season helped them, perhaps, fly under the radar for most of the early rounds.

The Saints’ first win against Natimuk United in round five, by 18 goals, and their second win against Pimpinio, by 31 goals, remained non-signifiers of their true capacity, given their opponents’ youth.

It was not until round seven, when the Saints defeated Laharum by one goal, did their league rivals sit up and notice what Edenhope-Apsley could potentially produce against the league’s leaders.

Buoyed by the addition of Suncorp Super Netball player and Edenhope local Sacha McDonald, who joined the Saints for

CoaChes

A Grade: Sarah Domaschenz

B Grade: TBC

C Grade: Michelle Penrose

C Reserve: TBC

17-and-under: TBC

15-and-under: TBC

13-and-under: Andrew Nelson their round 13 match against Jeparit-Rainbow, the Saints became the danger side of the competition.

Teams would need to be wary of McDonald’s consistency, given her potential to return to the Saints in 2023.

The Saints start the season against Jeparit-Rainbow, at Apsley, in round one, before consecutive games against teams that were absent from last season’s finals and the A Grade competition entirely – Kaniva-Leeor United and Taylors Lake.

They meet their 2022 rivals Laharum in round four for their only grand final rematch in 2023 against last season’s runner-up, in what could be a game that both sides enter without loss – given each squads’ respective fixture. The Saints only meet the reigning minor premiers Kalkee once in 2023, in round 10, at Edenhope.

Before last season’s grand-final win, A Grade coach Sarah Domaschenz said the Saints’ ‘brand’ of netball had brought together the districts’ finest netballers for a special premiership chance.

“I think we’ll just have to play our brand of netball – focus on what we are doing well, knowing we are in it together all the way,” she said.

“We all play beautifully as a team and we have learned so much from each other. We feel so lucky to have had players come home and give back to the game that developed them as juniors.”

What might stand in their way this season could be their rivals’ awareness of the Saints’ premiership potential ‘brand’ and might have made use of pre-season to find an obstacle to the Saints’ method.

The Saints will be unable to fly under any radar again in 2023, as they might have last season, and all Edenhope-Apsley supporters will hope for a chance to see their side defend the league’s top prize as reigning premiers.