Derby rivalry to continue in C grade

Arch-rivals and protagonists from last season's C grade final, Rovers and Magpies renew their acquaintances on Saturday at John Foord Oval with the winner to advance to this year's finale. After losing last year's grand final to the Hawks, Magpies co-coach Rachelle Petts is under no illusion of how tough the challenge is in front of her side. "Rovers continues to be one of the toughest games we have to play," Petts said. "Our focus for the weekend is to stick to our style of netball, keep to our structures and play our own game. "Match-ups will be important this weekend, as well as leaning into the depth that our side has. "We had a strong side going into that grand final, but there have been three departures from that playing group. "This season, our group feels much more settled, and balanced. "We also have more depth across all areas of the court which is the best kind of problem for a coach to have. "Jessie Knights in our defensive end, has played finals with this side the last few years, Richelle Collins and Taylor Boyle in our attacking end." Petts also pointed to the younger players in the squad, relatively new to senior netball. "Maddie White, Marley Carmody, and Lily Cairns have all demonstrated their development over the season, playing up in B grade when needed alongside a few other girls, which is a great reward for effort, especially in a B grade side which has made finals," she said. "We are lucky to have not only our 15s and 17s still in finals, but also our B grade which gives us a tough opponent to train against as well as lots of encouragement and words of wisdom from our A grade girls. "We need to stay connected, stick to our game plan and play 60 minutes of netball. "Anything can happen in finals, so we need to be ready to grind out each quarter and stay focused. "These games are hard to get to, and they are even harder to win. "We will focus on staying in the moment and enjoying being out on court together for another week." Rovers C grade coach Deb Doyle agreed the rivalry between the teams was intense, but there were also many friendships across the two clubs, "There is definitely a competitive edge as well. Magpies won the premiership in 2024 and we won in 2025, so there is a great recent history between the two C grade sides," Doyle said. "For us, the focus is very much on playing what we call 'Rovers netball'. "That mentality has really been evident across the club this year and our A grade side has epitomised it. "That has been a big part of the culture we have worked to build this year, supporting each other, working hard for one another, having fun and understanding that you don’t win a game of netball in the first quarter. "You have to be prepared to compete for the whole game." With only four players remaining from last year’s premiership side, Doyle said the squad had worked hard to build connection. "I think that balance is one of the real strengths of our group," she said. "We have experienced players such as Sam Lyster, Kyia Wohlers, Tyler Cleal and Bridie Nolan, then we have young players like Charlotte Annett, Holly Semmens and Sadie Pellegrino, who already have a few years of O&M netball behind them and continue to develop. "Sophie McCracken has returned to netball after a few years away from the sport and we have also welcomed twins Anna and Mia Ford from Moyhu in the Ovens and King league, and both have made a really strong transition into O&M netball. "It gives us a great mixture of youth, experience and personalities, and I think that has been important in creating such a cohesive group." Doyle said the highly-anticipated contest would be a drawcard for spectators. "There is a healthy respect between the two teams, but when that first whistle goes we know both sides will be fiercely competitive," she said. "We are really looking forward to the challenge."

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