Northern Football League

It was standing room only inside the Netball Centre on Friday night, with spectators of all ages turning out to support their local clubs. Lalor were the undefeated favourites heading into the Grand Final clash against Epping. The teams met in Rounds 7 and 14, and on both occasions Lalor defeated Epping by six and 11 goals respectively. And when they met a fortnight ago in the Semi Finals, Lalor once again triumphed by 13 goals. However, when it comes to the Grand Final, it doesn't matter what has happened throughout the season or what position you were in on the ladder. It all comes down to this one deciding match.

Lalor got off to a strong start, scoring the first three goals of the match. However, it didn't take long for Epping's defenders to find their feet. They played closely to their opponents and managed to secure a number of valuable rebounds. Epping peaked at the end of the term in what became a highly competitive first quarter. Although Epping had fewer shots at goal than the opposition, they were shooting accurately and wasted few opportunities. They scored with just over a minute left on the clock, bringing their tally for the opening term to six goals. Lalor were just in front with seven goals.

With only one goal separating the teams, the pressure was beginning to mount. Once again, Lalor came out firing, scoring the first two goals of the second term. Lalor's shooters began to find their momentum, landing shots from all areas of their goal circle. Epping's shooters ensured their team remained in touch, scoring difficult shots under immense pressure. Both sides made basic errors throughout the term, and unforgivably, none of them went unpunished. Epping fumbled a couple of catches, while a Lalor player threw the ball directly into the hands of the opposition after a fast-paced exchange. Lalor began to break away from their opponents, extending their lead to five goals at the half time break.

It was a captivating start to the third term, with teams going goal for goal. Lalor finally broke away, scoring three consecutive goals, which came as a massive blow to their opponents. Play was briefly stopped when Epping called for injury time after their Wing Defence came off with a possible damaged wrist. It wasn't long after, that Lalor also called for injury time when their Wing Defence was taken off court, holding her heavily braced knee. These breaks in play appeared to rattle the teams, with both sides making uncontrolled passes and shooting erratically in the goals shortly afterwards. Lalor outscored Epping nine goals to six and extended their lead to eight goals.

Epping had control of the final centre pass and after a number of turnovers, they eventually scored the first goal of the fourth term. Their defenders performed well, consistently applying pressure on their opponent's strong attack. They lunged for every ball, but it was always just out of their reach. Epping continued to be plagued by simple mistakes, such as dropped catches. A few of their players looked deflated by the middle of the term, but the team fought it out until the final whistle. Lalor's final term wasn't flawless either. They missed shots at goal and surprisingly, some of these were from just under the ring. One player mis-directed a pass that went out of court, but her subsequent smile illustrated just how relaxed the team was. Despite missing shots at goal, Lalor had a high scoring term with nine goals. It was Epping's lowest scoring term of the match, with a mere three goals.

The final scoreboard read; Lalor (33) to Epping (19).

All players were presented with a medallion after the match in a brief ceremony. A special mention goes out to Lalor's Sonia Boots who was deemed best on court by the umpires.

Congratulations to Lalor for an amazing season!