WHILST the senior grades in the Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA) have been heating up, the Junior M-League grades have been just as competitive. Though WDNA Panthers seem to have the stranglehold on the competition in the 18 and Under Boys, both the 18 and Under Mixed Division and 15 and Under Boys grade have multiple title contenders.

18 & UNDER BOYS

WDNA Panthers are the team to beat in the 18 and Under Boys competition, having not dropped a game and are coming off a huge 27-goal win over second placed Wyndham. The Panthers have the highest average goals and lowest goals conceded, whilst Wyndham’s Round 3 victory over Darebin (36-15) has helped them sit comfortably ahead of the Dragons, ahead of their next clash in Round 6 on January 12.

Having to have a bye each round, the Dragons sat out Round 5, as the Panthers won 58-31 over Wyndham. Ryan Lovell did well in the first quarter at goal keeper, and remained in defence for three quarters until being swung into goal shooter for the final term. Unfortunately for Wyndham, WDNA had plenty of standout contributors, with midcourter Quinn Spencer and defender Terran King both impressing, whilst Connor Lilly piled on 21 goals in the first half for the Panthers, before adding seven in the final term coming back on in goal attack.

ROUND 5 RESULTS:

WDNA Panthers (58) defeated Wyndham (31)
Bye: Darebin Dragons

18 & UNDER MIXED

In the 18 and Under Mixed Division, two sides have creates some separation on the bottom two sides in the grade, though there is not much between the teams. Despite both WDNA Red and St Therese having picked up three more wins than DDNA and Darebin, the overall matches have been incredibly close. Round 5 of the competition really exemplified that, with the top of the table WDNA Red only defeating last placed Darebin by five goals, whilst second placed St Therese won by two goals over third placed DDNA.

Jamie Shannon stood out for Darebin despite the loss, putting up a massive 10 goals in the first term and eight in the last, playing through goal attack. Midcourter Maliana Tuposa spent time in both wing defence and wing attack, whilst Milly Hogg scored 18 goals in the first half for WDNA Red before heading up the other end to play goalkeeper.

Meanwhile in the other game, St Therese’s Olivia Cawthray stood tall in goal shooter, piling on 22 goals in the first half, and 30 goals overall, to guide her team to victory. Coming on at quarter time, Sofia Andreula was impactful in wing attack across the last three quarters, while Jessica McLaren impressed through the centre and wing attack bibs for DDNA.

ROUND 5 RESULTS:

WDNA Red (43) defeated Darebin (38)
St Therese (49) defeated DDNA (47)

15 & UNDER BOYS

Looking to the 15 and Under Boys, and WDNA Red has emerged as the clear team to beat in the division. Yet to lose a match in five games, the latest result was a huge 54-goal victory over Kew. Midcourter Hayden Zani was named best on court, with goalkeeper Kaine Wilson and wing defence Jonty Stickland also impressive. For Kew, Robert Green scored nine of his side’s 13 goals.

Meanwhile in the other match, second placed Caulfield put some separation on third placed Darebin with a hard-fought, five-goal win. Caulfield won 36-31, with goal attack William Whitecare scoring 27 of his side’s goals in a clutch performance. Finn McLeod also impressed through the midcourt. For Darebin, Luke Mensingh played at both ends, scoring 14 goals in the first half in goal attack, before being swung into goal defence for the second half.

Overall, the closest a side has come to beating WDNA Red is Caulfield’s draw back in Round 4, having come a long way since WDNA Black won 60-18 in the opening round of the season. In the same round, Kew secured its only win thus far with a three-goal win over Darebin, 22-19.

ROUND 5 RESULTS:

Caulfield (36) defeated Darebin (31)
WDNA (67) defeated Kew (13)