Victorian Netball League 2025 live stream: Southern Saints v Bendigo Strikers, Round 6
Bendigo continued its winning ways in Round 6 of the VNL, with a first quarter key in the victory over the Southern Saints. Catch the REPLAY here.
While it may have been the Southern Saints buoyed by the return of star defender Jessie Grenvold, it was the Bendigo Strikers that left the court on Wednesday night with another win in hand.
The Saints and Strikers went to battle in round 6 of the VNL, with the former aiming for a second win this season.
But the Strikers were stronger for longer in the 56-41 victory, taking their record to 4-2 to start the season.
A 19-7 first-quarter proved to be the catalyst behind the win with the Strikers unable to ever really claw back the 12 goal deficit.
Their fight was unable to be questioned though with a 14-9 final quarter proof of Jane Searle’s ability to draw the best out of her side even on a tough night at the office.
In 23/U action, Bendigo also walked away victors with a 61-56 win.
CATCH THE CHAMPIONSHIP REPLAY ABOVE AND THE 23/U REPLAY BELOW
Wilson Storage Southern Saints v Bendigo Strikers (23 and under)
PREVIEW
Southern Saints coach Jane Searle can’t wait to add reigning Victorian Netball League MVP Jessie Grenvold back into the line-up alongside a former Aussie representative.
The 21-year-old will play her first game of the season after spending time with the Melbourne Mavericks in Super Netball.
And she could form a dynamic defensive partnership with former Diamond Sharni Norder (nee Layton) who has been filling in for the Saints with Grenvold absent.
The Saints take on the Bendigo Strikers on Wednesday night looking for their second win of the season.
Both the 23 & U and Championship matches will be streamed live and exclusive on KommunityTV from 7pm.
Searle said Grenvold’s leadership alongside co-captain Rahni Samason would provide her side with a huge boost.
“She’s going to bring composure in those key moments,” she said.
“Rahni is a rock at the offensive end and getting Jessie back is a huge boost at the other end of the court alongside Sharni.
“It gives us a really solid defensive end.”
Searle hailed the impact of Norder on the club, with the Aussie star the 23-and-under head coach.
“She inspires a lot of our team (when she’s on the court),” she said.
“Sharni has brought her expertise to the team, she’s been great for our younger players.”
While the Saints have a 1-4 record across the opening five rounds, Searle said there had been plenty of promising performances in her side.
“Holly Garac, a player who has come right through our program, has had some really good performances at wing attack,” Searle explained
“Mia van Wyk has been really good in the centre and we might be able to swing her to the wing.
“Millie Roach joined the club from NSW (where she was a Giants Super Netball training partner) and she fits in really nicely to our developing attacking end.
“We’ve lost some games we probably shouldn’t have but there’s been some good lessons.
“I’m expecting a really competitive game on Wednesday.”
As for Bendigo, Strikers coach Tracey Brereton said she had been excited about her team’s start to the season.
With a 3-2 record so far, the Strikers have gone down by a combined margin of two goals against last year’s grand finalists.
“I like to look at those results with a glass half full mentality, it shows you’re not too far away from the best teams,” she said.
“Those first couple of wins earlier in the season have really helped to set us up.
“The Saints are very good and their record of 1-4 doesn’t really reflect on how they’ve been playing.”
Brereton said the key for her side this season had been building on the existing core.
“We aimed to top up in the right areas,” she said.
“Getting local athletes including Zoe Davies was a big focus of us. We want to be a real challenger in the competition, not just a team in the competition.”
Originally published as Victorian Netball League 2025 live stream: Southern Saints v Bendigo Strikers, Round 6
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