ANA 2023: Prolific first and last quarters help Kangas reach preliminary final after eliminating Narrikup

The red-hot form of Kangas 1 continued as they eliminated Narrikup 1 from this year’s premiership race in the Albany Netball Association A1 competition on Saturday. Narrikup, who went down in last year’s grand final, finished third on the ladder in 2023 but were bundled out of the finals in the first week. Kangas netted 18 goals in a prolific first quarter and then dominated the final term to claim a 17-goal elimination final victory. They entered the finals on the back of three straight wins and Kangas surged to a big lead by quarter time against Narrikup. Forwards Rebecca Benson and Jazelle Foggin were on fire in the goal circle as Kangas doubled the score of their rivals to lead by nine goals. The second quarter was much more even, Kristie Slater working hard in mid-court to feed the ball forward and Narrikup added 12 goals. However at the other end Kangas scored 15 of their own to maintain their significant advantage. Kangas led by 12 goals at half-time and again Narrikup rallied, cutting into their deficit in the third. Sarah Horgan and Slater combined strongly in mid-court with goal shooter Rylee Davis and goal attack Daisy Stewart Morgan making the most of their opportunities. Narrikup outscored their rivals 19-14 and went into three-quarter time trailing by seven goals. However, Kangas hit back early in the last term to take control of the game once again. Centre Hayley Hulm was terrific for Kangas while Foggin and Benson combined for 19 goals to seal the triumph. Defenders Narelle Humphries and Georgia Clark helped restrict Narrikup to just nine goals as Kangas cruised to a 66-49 victory. The result ended Narrikup’s season while Kangas now progress to this Saturday’s preliminary final. Their preliminary final opponent will be defending premiers Royals Saints, who lost a tight qualifying final against Bullets on Saturday.