Magic defeat Magpies in a dynamic qualifying final to secure place in Manjimup netball grand final

Magic secured themselves a place in the Manjimup Netball Association grand final after defeating Magpies 55-41 in the qualifying final on Monday night. Magic were on fire - playing with real intent, passing with efficiency and driving hard for the ball. However they were one player down, which affected the team’s ability to easily work the ball through centre court. By quarter time, Magic had already doubled Magpies’ score 16-8. Magic further established their dominance in the second quarter, extending their lead to 13 goals. In an incredible effort, Magpies rallied in the third quarter to reduce the margin to nine goals. Magpies’ Adele East and Teegan Biluta did a significant amount of work in the midcourt to make this happen. Both teams found an extra dose of energy in the final quarter with neither side looking to back down. Magpies dug deep, managing to reduce the margin to six goals with five minutes to go. Unfortunately, Magpies could not sustain the momentum and began to flag, feeling the effects of being a player short. Once Magic began to turn over Magpies’ centre passes, the game was all but over. Magpies will get another opportunity to secure a grand final berth when they take on South West Electrics on September 11 in the preliminary final. Vixens’ 2023 season ended after forfeiting their elimination final against SWE on Monday night. In pool 2, Independents defeated Cosmos by two goals in overtime, securing themselves a place in the grand final. Also in pool 2, Globetrotters defeated Tigers by a mere point, crushing their grand final hopes. Cosmos will take on Globetrotters next week in a preliminary final to determine who will take on Independents in the grand final on September 15.