Premiership treble for Deni Rovers

The fourths footballers and under-15s and under-17s netballers are season premiers.

The A-grade and C-grade netballers were the other teams to make grand finals this year, and battled hard but came up a little short.

Match reports are as follows:

Netball

A-grade: Dookie United 25 def Deni Rovers 24.

What a grand final! The Rovers A-grade girls went down by just one goal to Dookie United in an incredible contest at Mathoura.

After defeating Dookie by 12 goals in the qualifying final, the Rovers knew they would face a very different challenge in the grand final.

The game was a fantastic battle from the opening whistle, with both teams refusing to give an inch.

The Rovers held the lead for most of the match, with every possession and every goal carrying enormous importance.

Dookie fought hard and, in the dying minutes, inched ahead by one to snatch victory in one of the closest and most exciting grand finals of the day.

While the result was heartbreaking, the girls can be incredibly proud of the season they have had and the way they competed on the biggest stage.

C-grade: Tungamah 36 def Deni Rovers 27.

Deni’s impressive season came to an end with a grand final loss.

There was plenty of blue and white around the ground, with a strong contingent of Rovers supporters turning out to cheer the girls.

Having faced Tungamah earlier in the season, the Rovers knew they were in for a tough contest.

From the opening whistle, both teams were determined to make every possession count.

The opening quarter was a tight, goal-for-goal battle, with neither side prepared to give an inch.

The intensity continued into the second quarter before an unfortunate tangle of legs left Brittany Edwards injured and requiring a dress change.

The disruption unsettled Deni momentarily, and allowed Tungamah to establish a small lead.

The Bears continued to apply strong defensive pressure, making it difficult for the Rovers to find the rhythm and flow they had produced so consistently throughout the season.

The warm conditions also began to take their toll, with both teams relying on rotations to maintain their energy and intensity.

At the defensive end, Erika Martin, Shané Bothma and Catie Lewis worked tirelessly, applying pressure and fighting for every turnover to create opportunities for their attacking teammates.

Brittany Edwards, Elly Blake and Taylor Wilkinson battled hard in the shooting circle, working against a determined defence to keep Rovers on the scoreboard.

Through the midcourt, Matilda Glowrey, Montana Muldoon-Leetham and Abby Whitehorn ran themselves into the ground, working to move the ball from defence into attack while applying pressure across the full width of the court.

Taylor Wilkinson was relentless throughout the contest, competing for every rebound and continuing to fight for her team. When Erika went down with an injury late in the final quarter, Taylor stepped up to the challenge of taking on the goal keeper role.

Every player left everything on the court, showing the determination, commitment and teamwork that had carried the side throughout the season.

Under-17s: Deni Rovers 40 def Rennie 29.

What a way to finish an incredible season!

It was a beautiful day for grand final netball, although the hot conditions certainly tested the girls.

We knew Rennie would come ready to play, so our focus was on starting strongly, playing our game and trusting everything the team had worked on throughout the year.

The girls did exactly that, jumping out to a 16-10 lead at quarter time before producing another brilliant second quarter to take a 32-19 lead into half time.

Rennie came out firing after the break and challenged us in the third, but the Rovers stayed composed and held an 11-goal advantage at the final change.

With one quarter left in our season, the girls found another gear and came out strongly to win the final quarter.

Ruby Cowley and Bae Willis were brilliant in the shooting circle, finishing off the hard work happening further down the court.

Amelie Bulmer, Issy Didcock and Lexi Hussey worked tirelessly through the midcourt, with Amelie's outstanding performance recognised with best on court honours.

Ruby Pisasale, Amy Holloway, Eve Meharry and Zoe Basset were relentless defensively, creating pressure and opportunities for us all game.

Under-15s: Deni Rovers 30 def Tungamah 24.

In a top-of-the-table contest, the game promised to be intense and a fantastic display of junior netball and it certainly did not disappoint.

Both teams played with determination and the pressure was high from the first whistle.

The Rovers girls were asked during the week to stick to structure, keep things simple and trust each other and they played beautiful netball.

The defensive end was relentless, backing each other, creating pressure and chasing every loose ball.

The midcourt ran hard, transitioned beautifully and used smart, composed passes into the shooters.

The team’s shooting duo were on fire all day, shooting with confidence and showing great strength under the ring.

Lilly Boyer was awarded best on court after a stellar game in GA.

Football

Fourths

Grand final day saw the Rovers take on Barooga, who had been the benchmark side all season, losing just one game.

Played in perfect conditions at Mathoura Recreation Reserve, Barooga started strongly, kicking the opening goal and having the ball inside its forward 50 on many occasions.

However, the Rovers back six were up to the challenge, repelling most entries and keeping their side in the contest.

Braxton Leetham, Carter Sartore and Henry Campion were all playing well, while Ged O’Donnell was dominating in the ruck.

In the final five minutes of the opening quarter, Cormick Hardman stood up and kicked two great goals to give the Rovers a five-point lead at quarter time.

Barooga hit back in the second quarter, but the Rovers continued to defend strongly.

Michael Benger, Mannix Taylor, Callan Leiper, Beau Jervis and Angus Knuckey all played important roles in preventing Barooga from extending its advantage.

At half time, Barooga held a narrow one-point lead.

At the main break, Rovers coach Peter Wills asked his team to lift, and that is exactly what they did.

Taj McCully, Sam Strong, Jed Fitzmaurice and Ryan Bulmer all lifted their intensity, gaining important clearances and driving the ball forward.

Big man Lucas Braybon came into the game and kicked two goals as the Rovers took control of the contest.

The Rovers went into three-quarter time with a 13-point lead and a growing belief that the day could be theirs.

The final quarter was an arm wrestle, with plenty of high-pressure moments as Barooga fought to get back into the contest.

The Rovers stood tall in the back half, refusing to give their opponents an easy path to goal.

Ged O’Donnell was everywhere, playing the game of his life, and the Rovers held firm to secure a memorable 10-point victory and claim the premiership.

It was a mixture of emotion and jubilation after the final siren for a group of players who thoroughly deserved the win.

Ged O’Donnell capped off an outstanding performance by receiving the medal for best on ground.

Final score: Deni Rovers 4.3 (27) def Barooga 2.5 (17).

Goals: Lucas Braybon 2, Cormick Hardman 2

Best players: Ged O’Donnell, Michael Benger, Taj McCully, Braxton Leetham, Carter Sartore, Sam Strong.