Hawks are grand final bound
Drouin will be well represented in Saturday's Gippsland League netball grand finals, with both the A and B grade Hawks winning their way through to the big dance.
Both teams will not turn their attention to grand finals on Saturday at Traralgon, with Drouin looking to prepare well and build on the momentum of another impressive finals performance.
The A grade will take on Moe in a battle of the ladder leaders. The grand final play-off will be the fourth meeting between Drouin and Moe for the season, with Drouin going down by just two goals in round six and Moe having the upper hand by 12 goals in round 14. Two weeks ago Moe took out the second semi by 15 goals.
In the B grade, Drouin will take on ladder leaders Leongatha who defeated the Hawks by 13 goals two weeks ago in the second semi. But, the the home and away season saw the teams come out with a one-all match-up. Leongatha took home the points with a 15 goal win in round nine but Drouin responded in round 18 with a seven goal win.
A grade: Drouin 65 def Leongatha 47
The A grade girls responded well after going down last week in a close contest.
They came out hungry, playing a terrific first half to take an early lead. The Hawks finished by playing an excellent brand of netball for the full four quarters.
Leongatha threw everything they had at Drouin which took its toll but the girls held strong to run run out comfortable winners.
Mwai Kumwenda was a strong target in goals, earning her the umpire's player of the match. She will miss the grand final, however, after earning selection for Malawi in their World Cup qualifiers this weekend.
Drouin are super excited to be in their first grand final in nine years, but know the job is not finished.
Awards: Ava Gaul and Ebony Mumford
B grade: Drouin 57 def Traralgon 52
An all round team effort saw Drouin's B grade build work hard from the start to finish to take out a preliminary final victory.
Brooke de Riter was named best on court by the umpires, after an outstanding performance at goal shooter. Karina Healy was highly accurate under the ring, converting her opportunities with confidence and composure.
Cleo Traumanis made a significant impact in goals in the third quarter, helping Drouin build momentum at a crucial stage of the contest.
Fiona Nalder stood tall at wing attack, against a tough opponent, remaining calm and composed under pressure. Deb Proctor and Jas Gallasch led strongly in centre, providing plenty of drive and control through the midcourt.
In wing defence, Alice McKellar and Lulu Lightowler were outstanding, working tirelessly to shut down Traralgon's feeds and limit their attacking opportunities. Sarah Roughead and Chelsea deRiter also combined brilliantly, creating turnovers and taking crucial intercepts when Drouin needed them most.
It was a determined team effort from start to finish, with every player making an important contribution to the victory.
