Inverleigh has finished the GDFNL A grade netball season as minor premiers which gives Zoe Saunders a chance to be the first player since 2016 to win back-to-back premierships.
Saunders won the 2025 A grade netball premiership with the Belmont Lions before moving across to Inverleigh this season to develop her skills and seek out another grand final victory.
“I had a great season in the midcourt in 2025, but I was really looking to develop in new positions which is why I was attracted to Inverleigh’s netball program,” Saunders said.
“Inverleigh was looking for a midcourter who could rotate into the ring, so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me.”
Prior to the GDFNL, Saunders played her junior netball at Queenscliff up until under 17’s before moving to St Albans to play in the Geelong Football Netball League.
Saunders featured in multiple premierships during her time at St Albans which she looks back on fondly as a great experience and opportunity to grow as a player.
“I was really lucky to have been supported by so many amazing coaches and clubs throughout my whole netball journey,” Saunders reflected.
Now as she prepares to take on yet another finals series in her first season playing for Inverleigh, Saunders couldn’t be more thrilled with the results thus far.
“As a team, we couldn’t be prouder of how we’ve finished off the season,” Saunders said.
“We’ve had quite a few injuries across both our A and B grade squads, so to finish off as minor premiers in both has been a testament to our depth and trust in each other.”
Inverleigh’s A grade squad finished the season with 60 points from 14 wins, whilst the B grade squad finished with 68 points from 17 wins.
“It’s just been such an amazing season, and we’ve all grown so close together as a team, so that always helps when it comes to translating success onto the court,” Saunders said.
With only 8 points separating first place from fifth place in the top five, the A grade competition has been highly competitive and unpredictable throughout the season.
Inverleigh were sitting in second place on the ladder until their one goal win against Bannockburn in Round 17 which boosted them up into first place ahead of finals.
“This season has been so close in A grade, so we just go into every game giving our opposition the respect they deserve and playing hard,” Saunders said.
“Leading up to finals, we’re pumped, and everyone wants to win for each other, so I guess we’re as locked in as you can get.”
As minor premiers, Inverleigh will have a break from playing this week as they await the results from the first qualifying final and elimination final.
Whilst Saunders remains secretive about the exact training plans that Inverleigh will be running to prepare for finals, she’s sure that the break will be advantageous for the team.
“I can’t say exactly what we’ll be getting up to, but our sessions have been getting better and better each week, and we’re really building as a team,” Saunders shared.
“As for the weekend, we’ve still got a lot of Inverleigh netball teams playing, so our A grade and B grade squads will be going down there to cheer them on.”
With success across the board for their netball program this year, Inverleigh have the chance to win their first A grade netball premiership in the clubs history.
Additionally, Saunders has the opportunity to become the first player in a decade to win two consecutive A grade netball premierships if Inverleigh win the grand final this season.
“Coming across an A grade premiership is pretty special to do it once, so doing it twice would just be unreal,” Saunders said.
“We’ve joked that if we do pull it off, then I might not be leaving Inverleigh for a while.”
With a mountain of premiership experience and a great deal of pressure, Saunders is focusing on taking each game as it comes and enjoying her first season with Inverleigh.
“I’m trying not to look too far ahead since it’s still week by week, especially until you’ve locked in the spot in the grand final,” Saunders said.
“We’ve been a team that can play the entire hour steady and strong all season, so I think I’m just going to be a small piece in our puzzle of really talented girls.”
Whilst Inverleigh enjoy their break this week, they’ll be watching on from the sidelines and studying their opposition ahead of their first finals game the following week.
Saunders provided her predictions for the first qualifying final between East Geelong and Bannockburn, as well as the elimination final between Thomson and Winchelsea.
“I think that every single team wants it so badly that both games will be a draw and go into overtime,” Saunders said.
“The teams that can play for the full hour and run it out are the ones that are going to win, but we’re ready to play anyone.”
As Inverleigh remain a premiership hopeful, Saunders has made her guess for the opposition that they would most likely meet in the final match of the season.
“I think Bannockburn could be versing us if we make it into the grand final,” Saunders said.
“You could tell how badly they wanted the win against us in Round 17 and they’ve put in a really solid season, so I think it could definitely be Bannockburn.”
This Saturday, Bannockburn and East Geelong will playoff in the qualifying final while Thomson and Winchelsea will feature in the elimination final.
Until then, Inverleigh will continue to search for their first A grade netball premiership since the competition started in 2002 as Saunders hunts down a back-to-back grand final win.
