Sharpshooter Brittany Finigan fires Magpies into sixth A1 grand final after downing Royals Saints

A powerful front-half display from Magpies 1 helped them progress to yet another Albany Netball Association A1 grand final, downing close rivals Royals Saints 1 in Saturday’s preliminary final. Sharpshooter Brittany Finigan was outstanding in the goal circle as her 30 goals helped keep Royals Saints at bay and guide Magpies into their sixth grand final in eight years with a 12-goal triumph, 50-38. Finigan helped swing the momentum in her side’s favour early in the contest as they led by five goals at quarter-time. Magpies had the first three goals of the second period and they quickly extended the buffer to double figures after a couple of terrific intercepts from tall goal defender Claire Holliday and her defensive partner Kylie Spencer. Emma Holliday had come to life in attack for Magpies as she netted 10 goals from 11 attempts in the second term but Royals Saints trimmed the deficit back to a manageable 10 goals after a late flurry of goals through their shooter Nardia Humphries. Royals Saints worked tirelessly after the main break to bridge the gap but for all their hard work had little reward on the scoreboard. Taylah Orzel was constantly in the action mid-court but their side were punished back the other way as Finigan added seven goals to stretch the Magpies’ advantage to 14 goals. Royals Saints rolled the dice in the final term, playing with greater freedom and they moved the ball swiftly which helped Humphries add a number of simple conversions. However they were simply too far behind and the poise of Finigan and Emma Holliday ensured their side prevailed. The pair missed only four shots in the final term and their clinical finishing was a highlight as the Magpies set up a grand final showdown with Narrikup 1. Despite her size, Finigan shot the ball effortlessly over taller opponents and finished with 30 goals from 38 attempts at 79 per cent efficiency while Emma Holliday was a perfect cameo with 20 from 27. Claire Holliday was impressive in defence while Maggie Hardiman was vital at wing attack in the final three quarters. Kathryn Jennings was superb in a losing affair for Royals Saints, giving her side great drive in the first quarter before she was swung back to defence in the second term in an effort to curb the influence of Finigan. Humphries went at 65 per cent for her 30 goals and did not stop fighting in an entertaining duel with Claire Holliday while Orzel was prolific in mid-court, but Royals Saints were knocked out for a second straight year in a preliminary final.