TOP two sides St Therese and WDNA will face off in both Junior M-League finals after winning their respective semis on Wednesday night. The two netball sides finished in the top two of the 17 and Under and 14 and Under divisions in the Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA) competition.

In the 17 and Under clash between WDNA and Peninsula Waves, the former lived up to its second place status with a comprehensive 22-goal win against a six-player Waves team. Storming to a 14-4 lead at the first break, WDNA set up the win from there, and while the Waves were competitive in the second term, could not sustain it and WDNA outscored its opponent 29-12 in the second half. By the final whistle, the scores read 58-26 and WDNA was into the grand final.

Khi Horsburgh scored 14 goals in the first half for WDNA before moving into wing attack for the final term, as Nic O’Meara came on for the second quarter to shoot 27 goals in a commanding effort. They were well supported by Campbell Brown who scored 17 goals and was named among the best, while Daniel King‘s effort in defence earned him best on court honours. Connor Drysdale was the standout for Peninsula in both defence and attack, though the Waves struggled with just the six players on court.

The other 17 and Under match was far closer with Darebin almost causing the upset of the season against minor premiers St Therese. Everything seemed to be going to script in the first quarter as St Therese raced out to a 13-4 lead. From there though, Darebin clawed its way back, scoring 9-6 in the second term and then 12-9 in the third to trim the deficit to just three goals at the last break. Luckily for the minor premiers, St Therese steadied to break even in the last term and run out 38-35 winners. Josh Francis scored 19 goals for the winners, while Jamie Shannon was the most prolific scorer for Darebin.

St Therese’s 14 and Under team had a far more convincing win in its semi-final. The ladder leaders took control from the get-go against TBC, securing a 55-16 victory off the back of a 30-6 first half. The side never looked like losing as Brodie Lilly and Wynter Morgan Eeles ensured the score kept ticking over. Teddy Sexton played a variety of roles in defence and then attack, while Finn McLeod also stood up in defence. Noah Chapman tried hard in attack for TBC, but with just the seven players, the side was limited in its rotations.

In the other semi-final, WDNA took care of Melbourne Up & Comers by 12 goals. Though Melbourne Up & Comers proved capable of an upset during the regular season, WDNA ensured it started well to get off to a 10-goal lead by half-time. Though the underdogs halved the deficit heading into the last term, WDNA stood up off the back of 10 goals in the fourth quarter from Thomas Lane to secure the 37-25 victory. Lane scored 27 goals for the match, teaming up with both Noah Bacon and Jack Campbell, while Karl Bebbington and River Zielinski were crucial in defence. For Melbourne Up & Comers, Lawson McCleish played a variety of goal attack and centre, while Kobi Verwoert tried hard all match.