Narrikup cough up six-goal lead as Royals Saints progress to decider after scoring last three goals of final

Royals Saints 1 snatched an epic one-goal win in the Albany Netball Association A1 qualifying final, with Summer Stirling hitting the winning goal in the last 15 seconds of a dramatic fourth quarter on Saturday. Narrikup 1 appeared set to cause a major upset in the first week of the finals by handing Royals Saints their first loss of the 2022 season. Scores were level at halftime before Narrikup wrestled control of the contest in the third as star shooter Rylee Davis (14 goals) powered her side to a three-goal advantage. Narrikup led by as much as six goals in the third and despite Royals Saints scoring the first three goals of the final stanza to level scores, Narrikup steadied and again opened up a four-goal advantage. Royals Saints fought tooth and nail to bridge the gap, Stirling working overtime in the goal circle while Kathryn Jennings and Taylah Orzel won plenty of the ball further up the court, and late in the game they whittled the deficit back to a single goal. Chelsi Mier levelled scores for the second time in the quarter and then her side whisked the ball forward again as Stirling calmly nailed the shot to hand Royals Saints an unlikely last-gasp win. Royals Saints led for only the final 15 seconds of the game but the 55-54 win put them straight into the grand final after 13 wins in a row this season. The result came without star shooter Nardia Humphries, who missed the final due to COVID. Stirling was outstanding in the final term with some clutch shots, finishing the period with 11 goals from 13 attempts. She also scored 11 goals in the first quarter and shot at 85 per cent for the game to return a game-high 41 goals, but it was her final shot that was the most important. Orzel provided great drive at wing attack, constantly feeding the ball into the circle, and the defensive pair of Narelle Humphries and Georgia Edwards worked overtime to limit the effectiveness of their opponents. It wasn’t easy as Davis proved to be one of the most influential players in the final, with a brilliant 14-goal third term, and she hit 37 goals from 44 attempts to go at 84 per cent for the match. Royals Saints led by two goals at quarter time but the tide changed in the second term as Narrikup’s Kristie Slater and Sian Lucas in midcourt got on top. Slater was a superb four-quarter contributor, Asha Wiegele chipped in with 17 goals at 77 per cent and defender Erin Miller applied strong pressure throughout, but their side let the game slip in the dying stages. In a feisty third term, Narrikup’s Tina Mundy and Royals Saints’ Narelle Humphries were both cautioned and warned for constant infringing. Narrikup will now face defending premiers Magpies 1 in this Saturday’s preliminary final for the chance to get another shot at Royals Saints.