After a highly successful season for both the A grade and B grade teams at Inverleigh, coach Lisa Milne couldn’t be prouder of her players for the effort and talent they have displayed.
Not only did the Hawks' A Grade and B Grade sides both finish as minor premiers for the season but they also both faced East Geelong in the second semi finals this past weekend.
Whilst the A Grade side didn’t get the result they wanted losing by 18 goals, B Grade was able to defeat East Geelong by just one goal, sending them directly into the grand final.
The A Grade team will get a second chance this weekend as they prepare to take on Winchelsea in the preliminary final.
“It was definitely a bag of mixed emotions for me,” Milne said.
“We were really disappointed with the A grade result, because we knew we didn’t quite play to what we were capable of.”
Coaching both of these talented teams at Inverleigh is no small feat, but Milne has proven that determination, passion, and belief is a recipe for success in netball.
“It was brilliant to see the B grade team get into the grand final because they’ve worked so hard for it all year,” Milne shared.
“It’s our fourth year of making it into the grand final for B Grade but we’ve never won it, so hopefully this is the year.”
Inverleigh have never won a premiership in either the A Grade or B Grade competitions, making this year all the more intense for both the players and for Milne as coach.
Whilst B Grade have featured in many grand finals, Inverleigh has never before made it into an A grade grand final since netball was introduced into the GDFNL in 2002.
“It would be great to get that A grade win, but it’s not just about one team, it’s about building a club culture as well,” Milne said.
“We’ve already had five teams make it into finals this year with two already making it through to the grand final, so for A Grade to make it in as well would be amazing.”
The B Grade team will get to enjoy a break this week and prepare for the grand final, whereas A Grade will be hoping for a quick turn-around against Winchelsea on Saturday.
“We all know we’re coming up against a really strong side, and there’s no hiding from that,” Milne said.
“We just need to tidy up in a few areas and really back ourselves in to play a consistent four quarters of netball.”
Despite drawing with an equal 33 goals the last time they versed, Inverleigh was only able to score half the amount of goals to East Geelong during their finals game last weekend.
Whilst their finals hopes aren’t over yet, Milne admitted that she was disappointment with the lead slip which allowed East Geelong to keep Inverleigh to just three goals in the last quarter.
“We need to play our brand of netball and take on some learnings from the weekend to improve on some areas,” Milne said.
“As I said to the girls, there’s a lot of belief in our group and there’s a grand final spot there, so we’re going to go for it.”
With only two rounds to go in the 2026 netball season, Milne has reflected on how proud she is of the players across both A Grade and B Grade regardless of the final results thus far.
“To get into the position that they’ve got to and to keep moving forward despite everything that’s been thrown at them every week, I’m just really proud of them,” Milne shared.
“Each of the girls back each other and builds each other up which is huge for a playing group and as a coach.”
With Inverleigh having all five senior teams playing in finals this season, the excitement is building throughout the community for what is yet to come in this year’s finals series.
“We want to build a brand of netball and a community of netball that everyone is proud to be a part of,” Milne said.
“That’s the club we’re trying to build and the culture we want to build.”
