Hepburn ends Daylesford's back-to-back netball reign with 54-40 upset
Hepburn Burras defeated reigning premiers Daylesford 54-40 in the Central Highlands Netball League grand final.
Hepburn claimed its first CHNL premiership by toppling Daylesford's back-to-back run. The Burras came out fast, leading 12-7 after the first quarter and controlling the game throughout.
Coach Gary Cooke's plan was simple: tire the reigning champions early and force errors. "If we got out to a really strong start and made them chase us for the whole game, we could wear them out," Cooke said.
The strategy worked-Hepburn led 31-15 at half-time. Daylesford fought back in the second half and even scored on the buzzer during a third-quarter collision that forced both teams' centres to ground, but could not bridge the gap.
Emma Winfield was named best on court for Hepburn. The win comes two years after a heartbreaking one-goal loss to Daylesford in the 2024 grand final.
- 54-40
- Final score
- 31-15
- Half-time score
- Gary Cooke
- Coach
- Emma Winfield
- Best on court
Why it mattersHepburn ends a long drought and proves experience is not guaranteed in finals; Daylesford loses their grip on the competition.
AustraliaCentral Highlands netball has a new champion after Daylesford dominated the recent era.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 11 d ago
