SWNFL 2022: Eaton Boomers bounce back with 19-goal preliminary final win over South Bunbury

Eaton Boomers have continued to prove why they’re such a strong contender to pull off back-to-back SWNFL premierships after holding off South Bunbury by 19 goals. The reigning premiers and the Tigers faced off in the South West Netball Football League’s preliminary final at Eaton Recreation Centre on Sunday, for the chance to go head to head with Busselton in the grand final. After losing in extra time to Busselton during last weekend’s semi-finals, the Boomers were firing out of the gate with strong driving by Kristy Fitzgerald and Jen Maaka, and Jess Knight’s quick-fire shots on goal to build an early lead. It seemed nerves got the better of South Bunbury with a number of errors costing them possession, Gemma Chapman scoring for the Tigers three minutes into the first term. With both teams putting the pressure on, Chloe Willsher and Michelle Wood made some strong interceptions for their respective sides within the midcourt. Although South Bunbury managed to shake off their nerves late in the term, Eaton held strong to lead 19-9 at quarter-time. Looking to continue building momentum, South Bunbury started fast in the second quarter with Amy Howard and Willsher quickly driving the ball down the court while Ella Dowsett landed several early goals. However, the Boomers continued putting the pressure on with strong hustling by Grace MacArthur and Kasey Joy and good feeds by Fitzgerald and Courtney Collard. As South Bunbury amped up the intensity, the contest turned physical with Collard coming off the court with an ankle injury, followed by Fitzgerald with a dislocated finger. Although Dowsett continued to find her groove in goals and Sue Howard put up a strong fight in defence, Eaton held on to lead 32-21 at half-time. Despite South Bunbury making another fast start early in the third term, Eaton showed tenacity with both Collard and Fitzgerald returning to the court. While the Tigers continued a strong defensive approach with plenty of intercepts, Eaton showed composure and extended their lead to 13 goals by the final change. South Bunbury continued to show plenty of heart during the final term but ultimately it was not enough to topple the Boomers, who continued to control the contest to seal the win 62-43. The Boomers will now regroup for Saturday’s grand final against the Magpies.