QUALIFYING FINAL
After a highly competitive and exciting 2026 A grade netball season, the first round of finals is finally upon us, and this is a round of netball you won’t want to miss.
The qualifying final will take place this Saturday the 22nd of August between East Geelong and Bannockburn, two teams full of experience and skill.
Bannockburn has displayed some impressive netball throughout the season, finishing third on the ladder with 14 wins and 4 losses.
Despite sitting on top of the ladder for most of the season, Bannockburn dropped down to third place after losses against both East Geelong in round 16, and Inverleigh in round 17.
On the other hand, East Geelong will be fit and firing heading into this game after finishing the season with three consecutive wins allowing them to jump up into second place.
East Geelong equal Bannockburn with 14 games won for the season, with a draw against Inverleigh in round 11 allowing them to come away with just two more points on the ladder.
The last time these two strong sides met was recently in round 16, which saw East Geelong defeat Bannockburn by 10 goals after suffering a loss to Winchelsea the previous round.
East Geelong have a lot of finals experience and won the A grade netball premiership in 2024, whereas Bannockburn haven’t won a premiership title since 2019.
Since this is a qualifying final, East Geelong and Bannockburn won’t be knocked out of the finals race regardless of the result, but there is still a lot on the line nonetheless.
The winner of this game will proceed into the second qualifying final, whilst the loser will play in the semi-final game against the winner of the first elimination final.
Player to watch: Bannockburn's young star Lila Morris has scored 633 goals for the season at only fifteen years of age.
Morris has led the A grade goal shooter leaderboard for most of the season and will hope to utilise her goal scoring skills to give Bannockburn the win against East Geelong.
Feel good story: Bannockburn actually happen to have leading goal scorers in A grade, under 19’s, under 17’s, under 15’s and under 13’s, showing the depth of talent they have in their netball program.
Hoping to continue their lead in goals scored for the season, the community at Bannockburn will be cheering these players on during some very exciting finals games for the club.
With the excitement of the first game of finals and everything to play for, this matchup between East Geelong and Bannockburn will be nothing short of competitive and thrilling.
Final Prediction: East Geelong by 4 goals.
ELIMINATION FINAL
The second finals game this round will take place on Sunday the 23rd of August between Winchelsea and Thomson in the elimination final.
Unlike the first qualifying final, this elimination final will be the end of the road for either Winchelsea or Thomson depending on who can take the win on the day.
Winchelsea have been a tough team to beat all season, finishing in fourth place on the ladder with 13 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws.
Having not lost a game since Round 13, Winchelsea has powered into finals after a strong 58 goal win against the Geelong West Giants in the last round of the season.
Winchelsea will face the 2025 minor premiers in Thomson who just snuck into the top five after their six-goal win against the Belmont Lions in round 17.
Thomson finished the season in fifth place from 13 wins and 5 losses, managing to get four straight wins between Round 15 and 18.
Like Winchelsea, Thomson also had a confidence boosting win in Round 18 after a 69-goal win against Anakie which ultimately gave them the percentage to solidify their spot in finals.
Thomson has proven its worth throughout the season, defeating top of the ladder side Inverleigh in Round 12 by 11 goals despite playing as the away team.
The last time Winchelsea versed Thomson was back in round 9 which saw Winchelsea come away with a 9-goal win, keeping Thomson to just 4 goals in the first quarter.
Player to watch: Bree Caldwell (Thomson), who shot 43 goals in Round 18, and won the Justine Radford Medal for her 2026 Interleague performance.
Caldwell has been a key player for Thomson throughout the season, scoring 539 goals with elite accuracy and the drive to feature in yet another grand final after their loss in 2025.
Feel good story: Winchelsea also has a strong lineup of players, one of those being Olivia Barber who played in the AFLW for three seasons and will utilise her height to lock down the Thomson attacking end.
Barber joined the A grade side at Winchelsea this year and has already made an impact, helping her side secure a place in finals whilst she reconnects with her childhood love for netball.
With their seasons on the line, this elimination final is sure to be full of strong player matchups, impressive netball skills, and a result that will make or break either side.
Final Prediction: Winchelsea by 6 goals.
