Newtown & Chilwell defeat St Joseph’s in GFNL A-grade grand final, with Charity Nasalio named best on court
Newtown & Chilwell’s decade-long A-grade dominance has endured, with a newcomer putting her stamp on the club’s latest flag after rediscovering her love for the sport.
Newly-minted Newtown & Chilwell premiership defender and best on court Charity Nasalio admits this year was her giving netball one final crack.
Moving back to Australia from New Zealand with her partner, the 24-year-old, who had dealt with knee issues in the past and a fading love of the game, decided to trial with Victorian Netball League club City West Falcons.
Making the squad but not guaranteed minutes, it was injuries to two defenders which opened the door for Nasalio to play a key role for the Falcons and reigniting her love for the game in the process, as the Falcons went on to secure a championship four-peat with a thrilling come-from-behind 60-58 final win against Hawks.
“I thought I’d give netball one last go before I stopped playing soon,” Nasalio said.
“I turned up to Falcons’ trials and I was like, ‘if I make the team, you know, it’s meant to be’.
“Then it just worked out in the end … we just kept winning.
“Now I’m just going to continue.
“It’s given me a reason to keep going.”
It was through City West Falcons the Melbourne-based Nasalio also landed at Newtown & Chilwell in the GFNL, following advice given from head coach Marg Lind.
“I really didn’t know how the system worked here, and she just kind of guided me to go to Newtown, heaps of Falcons have been playing (here) previously,” she said.
“I’ve really enjoyed the girls, they’ve all made me feel welcome from the get-go and it just feels like we’ve been playing together for ages really.”
Nasalio couldn’t scripted her first year back in Australia if she tried, adding a GFNL A-grade premiership medal to her VNL championship win, after the defender led the Towners to a 37-25 win over St Joseph’s with a best on court performance playing both goalkeeper and goal defence.
Fittingly it was her VNL teammate at Falcons in Olivia Cameron who presented Nasalio her best on court medal, the award newly named in the South Barwon captain’s honour.
“It was a fairytale ending for both games really,” Nasalio said.
“But this one, of course, we got a big lead on them, so it felt nice to get that under our belt.”
Coming out strong against the Joeys – who beat them in a qualifying final – the Towners adapted to a midgame downpour to push out to a lead which never appeared threatened in the final quarter.
“It feels really good, we’ve had a tough season, losing to St. Joseph’s a few times during the year, so it’s just really good to get the final win,” Nasalio said.
“It was pretty nitty-gritty. We had prepared a lot, we studied them well, and I think we just stuck to our game plan and we were more clear on what we each had to do on court.”
Forced to adapt their defence late in the season through the absence of Ruby Pekin-Schlicht, Nasalio and teammates Natalie Tommasini, Amy Wirth and Mia van Wyk proved a composed back-court unit for the Towners on grand final day.
“Ruby’s such a big part of our team and it was really hard when she left, but I felt that our connections grew stronger with the other defenders on the court, so happy to get it done for Ruby,” Nasalio said.
“We’re lucky that we have variety in our team and we’re able to get out on goal defence or goalkeeper, and I was just happy to have a run at goal defence today.”
Towners brave elements for historic top-grade flag
It wasn’t exactly the high qualify affair of 2024 as an ill-timed downpour doused Friday’s decider, but there was no denying Newtown & Chilwell’s legendary experience in bringing home a record-breaking ninth GFNL A-grade premiership.
In a rematch of last year’s decider, St Joseph’s proved no match for the powerhouse Towners, the minor premiers – in their 11th consecutive grand final appearance extending back to 2013 – winning match-ups across all three lines before handling almost torrential downpour from the second quarter onwards with ease to secure the 37-25 premiership win at Kardinia Park.
In his speech post-win with the sun back out, Towners coach Andrew McInerney – named the league’s Team of the Year coach earlier in the week – said he felt his side “coped a little bit better in the wet” than their counterparts.
It was a different story to the clubs’ early-season clash in similar conditions, when Joeys downed the Towners by 11 in the wet.
“It really gelled today, which is so funny because last time we played in these conditions we lost,” captain Julia Woolley said.
“That just showed the work we’ve put in at training and the strategy we put into play today paid off.”
The Towners caught the Joeys by surprise early, before the latter rallied to bring the margin back to four goals at the first change.
The margin toed-and-froed in the second term as rain settled in, before the Towners pushed out to a narrow 18-15 lead at half time.
The continued wet weather into the second half saw spectators forced for cover as players – and a few hardcore fans – braved the elements and a slippery court, as the Towners’ lead extended out to 26-19 at the final break.
It appeared inevitable the Towners were on track for victory in the final 15 minutes, as they continually won ball and transitioned it up the court with ease to goalers Julia Woolley and Mikaela Vaughan, the margin exceeding 10 goals late in the game.
Coming into the grand final without premiership defender Ruby Pekin-Schlicht, whose visa troubles while completing a PhD in the UK stopped a return, there was a question mark over the Towners’ defensive group.
Even experienced premiership defender Amy Wirth admitted she felt nervous, though in the end there was no need to be, as Wirth and her fellow defensive unit in Natalie Tommasini, Mia van Wyk and Charity Nasalio – the latter named best on court – rarely missed a beat in Pekin-Schlicht’s absence as their defensive strategy paid dividends in putting the Joeys off their game early.
van Wyk was dynamic in wing defence early, while Wirth’s entry into the game at goalkeeper in the second quarter settled the line-up and gave Nasalio and Tommasini the chance to push out into the GD and WD positions respectively. It saw the Joeys’ attack struggle at times to get the ball cleanly into sharpshooter Ella Closter’s hands.
“Defensively we started off as a one-on-one, we often play our zone, a wall into a box defensively, and we thought that would be a little bit too predictable for them and so we put the other girls on to play a really hard one-on-one to get them off their game to start with,” Wirth said.
“I think they played so well to start and just rattle them a little bit, then when I came on to set up that four, it kind of settled into place and it worked really well together.
“I was so nervous, I must admit, I love having Ruby there to know she’s going to go on and set up that strong defensive end.
“Without her I was really worried – tried not to show the team that – but credit to the girls, we came together, we trained hard together and got the result.”
St Joseph’s recruit Kiahna Fallon proved a strong defensive foil early with her flying intercepts, as the Joeys looked to utilise their deep squad by making a number of midcourt rotations throughout the game.
Youngster Larni Howard ran hard all game and put her body on the line in countless efforts to get the ball, but the Joeys were no match for the poise and experience the Towners’ midcourt and sleek attacking end brought, midcourters Dani Mather and Vanessa Augustini working in tandem to expertly feed the ball into Vaughan – who rarely missed with 21 goals at 91.3 per cent – and Woolley (16 at 76 per cent).
For the 37-year-old Wirth, the win was extra sweet considering she thought last year would be her last before teammates convinced her to go around again, with the defender one of four players, including Tommasini, Woolley and Mather to remain from the Towners’ first flag back in 2013.
“Just feels really good, good to be around the club, it’s an awesome club to be in so just so happy,” she said.
Woolley said it was special to share another premiership with this group, while an emotional week saw her honoured at the league’s award with the naming of its best and fairest award after the 36-year-old, who also brought home another Team of the Year selection.
“I didn’t know going into it, that was a lovely surprise, truly an honour to think when I’m done and not playing anymore that’s something that’s going to go down in history,” Woolley said.
“But hopefully a few more years left in me.”
Saints stun unbeaten B-grade rivals in overtime thriller
St Mary’s has pulled out an all-time performance to deny South Barwon a breakthrough premiership for another year.
A year after the Swans lost last year’s decider to fifth-placed Colac, this time it was the fourth-placed Saints who spoiled the minor premiers’ unbeaten run into a final with an overtime 40-39 victory after goal attack Kathryn Vickers sunk the winner from long range with a minute left.
Then it was left to the Saints’ defence to hold on and deny the Swans a response, the siren bringing welcome relief and jubilation from the Saints’ bench.
Vickers’ husband and B-grade coach Bryce Flannery said words couldn’t describe the win as the Saints’ training came to the fore when the game was forced to overtime with scores locked 33-all in warm but windy conditions.
“We’ve been in this position before, so the girls knew exactly what to do, which is good,” Flannery said.
“Still does nothing for my heart, but we trained for it at training – we put scenarios into place, 30-seconds, one goal up, draw, one goal down.”
Coming back on court late in the game, Vickers was cool under pressure to sink the winner.
“I needed that time to sit and reflect, I came off, then when I came back on, (a teammate) was like, ‘just be a target, just put it to the post’,” Vickers said.
“And I was like, “Okay, I got this’, and it was yeah, bang.
“So proud of everyone, everyone just lifted and the main focus was having fun and that’s what we did today and we got a bonus medal at the end.”
It was a fitting first year back at the club for Vickers and Flannery, who arrived as A-grade and B-grade coaches respectively.
“It’s my first flag as a coach and I’ve been coaching for over 10 years now,” Flannery said.
“It’s the ultimate … we came from fourth, we beat fifth place, third place, second place, and then deep down I knew we could do it.
“It’s just a matter of the girls getting it done.”
Flannery believed one-goal wins in both their elimination and semi finals, as well a preliminary final win over second-place Newtown & Chilwell, had steeled his group for the pressure-cooker of a grand final.
The Saints came out firing with a 10-4 first quarter – midcourter Jackie Riddle eventually earning best on court honours – before keeping pace with the Swans when they eventually reeled the lead back in.
“Absolutely, they (South Barwon) came off one game in three or four weeks when we’ve had the momentum going forward, it’s unbelievable,” Flannery said.
The Saints’ C-graders also walked away premiers, comfortably accounting for South Barwon, 50-31 earlier in the day.
Midcourter and co-captain Kate Fowles was best on court, giving the Saints plenty of opportunity to score.
In D-grade, St Joseph’s brought home a flag with a 26-17 grand final win over South Barwon, 26-17, after extending their lead at each of the breaks.
Sophie King was judged best on court.
Leopold took home the E-grade flag with a confident 32-12 win against Grovedale, Bonnie Hockley judged best on.
In the junior ranks, South Barwon ended Newtown & Chilwell’s recent dominance in the 19 & Us, defeating the Eagles 27-21 with defender Amali Hill best on.
The Swans took home four juniors flags, including a17 & U division 2 29-15 win over St Joseph’s, as the Joeys’ inaccuracy and a best-on-court performance from Swans’ goal keeper Ella Clark influenced proceedings.
The Swans also nabbed two junior flags both by one point and with incredible last quarter performances.
Their 13 & U division 2 side started it off, with a 12-6 fourth quarter swing sealing the 25-24 win over Bell Park, before their 15 & U division 1 took inspiration with a 6-3 final term to edge out the previously unbeaten Dragons, 24-23.
Goal attack Chloe Noelker was best on in the 13 & U div 2, while Goal defender Zoe Nwankwo best judged best on court in 15 & Us.
Geelong West Giants’ 17 & Us capped off the perfect season, with a dominant 37-15 grand final performance against South Barwon.
The Giants didn’t drop a game all year, before pushing out to the matchwinning lead of 14 at three quarter time of Friday’s decider as Isabella Gill (33 goals) converted on their dominance to finish with the best on court medal.
An overtime classic in the 15 & U division 2 grand final saw St Mary’s prevail 37-35 against Bell Park, goal defender Kaycee Taylor judged best on.
But the Dragons finally got their flag in the 13 & U division 1 decider, knocking off South Barwon 28-21, with goal attack Paetyn Diamond sinking 24 of their 28 goals and midcourter Milla Eldredge named best on.
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Originally published as Newtown & Chilwell defeat St Joseph’s in GFNL A-grade grand final, with Charity Nasalio named best on court
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