NDNA 2025: Thrilling games in A2, A3 and A4 as Wagin, Flames and Cuballing triumph in grand finals

A thrilling Narrogin and Districts Netball Association grand final day crowned premiers in the A2, A3 and A4 divisions on September 20 to close a prosperous 2025 season. Wagin 4 and Williams 3 were first out on the court with Wagin immediately crunching Williams in a strong start, with beautiful movement in the circle by their shooters Jasmine Watson and Latika Baxter propelling their team ahead. Williams met the challenge, upping their defence intensity to narrow the gap as Williams’ Jessica Carmichael refused to give her opponent any space to make a shot. Wagin’s wing Talegan Baxter worked tirelessly in mid-court to keep up the pressure yet Williams’ Shanae Quill utilised her height to top her players and keep possession. With the spectacular defence, goals were slow in the second quarter with Wagin narrowly holding a three-goal lead. After half time there were multiple turnovers in the mid-court as both sides laid down relentless pressure. Baxter sought the best position in the goal circle working perfectly with teammate Donna Clarke who fed her the ball each time, widening the margin to secure a 29-21 Wagin triumph. Despite the loss, the grand final MVP was collected by Williams’ Carmichael for her formidable work as goal keeper. The seasons fairest and best was handed to Wagin’s Demelza Iles while Williams’ Hayley Fredrickson was runner-up. A tight contest ensued in A3 between Flames Fury and Wagin. Wagin’s Stacey Garlett was fierce in her attack and intercepted countless passes and was well supported by teammate Shawnesse Garlett in goals and Emma van de Velde’s tight defence, helping them take the lead for a short time in the second quarter. Flames fought back with a noteworthy performance by defender Melanie Noakes who held space in the circle, forcing Wagin shooters to put up long shots which gave Flames a chance to grow their own score, resulting in a 19-13 lead. A highly defensive game continued as all players squashed several scoring opportunities, Wagin centre Keira Painter added to the fast pace while Garlett moved into goals and shot with skilful accuracy. Flames defenders Mel Noakes, Mia Ewen and Kiara Richards took advantage of wayward shots and won majority of the rebounds to feed it back to their end, this sparked a late goal frenzy which resulted in an impressive final 38-26 win. The grand final MVP was accepted by Richards for her masterful defence and the season’s fairest and best celebrated dual winners Wickepin’s Candace Stone and Olivia Stott. A goal-for-goal A2 start between Wagin and Cuballing made for an evenly matched and thrilling game to finish off the season that had supporters roaring from the sideline from the first buzzer. Impressive shooting by Wagin’s Kaya Te Kapa had them skip ahead by three points yet it was well-met by Cuballing goal keeper and defender Breeanna Bolton Black and Keely Kickett who took multiple intercepts to slow down Wagin’s roll. Stepping back onto the court Wagin went hard in their mid-court pressure and great vision from Jodie Sercombe to pass directly centre to Wagin shooters had them ahead by two at half time. Cuballing dug deep in the second half to crunch the deficit, a fresh determination was clear with on point shooting from Lakkari Kickett, Marjorie Ugle and Chante Kickett who took their time to ensure every opportunity was maximised. Supported in the mid-court by Chelsea Ugle, an impressive overall effort from all of Cuballing’s players secured a three goal lead heading into the final term. Te Kapa continued to land goals for Wagin but from a defensive perspective they struggled to cut Cuballing off as Bolton-Black and Kickett seemed to take possession of any errant shot and feeds into the circle to go ahead by seven goals. Breaking from the tight contest, Cuballing kept the scoreboard ticking in their favour and made for a 49-42 triumph by the final siren. For her tactful play under the ring the grand final MVP when to Cuballing’s Bolton-Black who celebrated with teammate Chelsea Ugle who was awarded the division’s fairest and best followed closely behind by Wave’s Sienna Epworth.