Round 6 saw Kingston Blues and Karana participated in the 8th edition of the much loved Speak Up Stay ChatTY Shield. Going in to the matches, Kingston had taken out the previous 7 shield matches but Karana were confident their 19&U group would keep them in it this year!
Aside from the shield honours on the line, the match provides an opproutnity to have important conversations around mental health and wellbeing, especially as an athlete. Netball Tasmania, Kingston Blues and Karana are thankful for the continued support from Speak Up Stay ChatTY to be able to continue to raise awarness for an important cause.
The 19&U match started strong for Karana, sneaking ahead early. The strength of Ebony McGinniss in goals was hard to stop for Kingston in the first half of the match. Kingston upped their physicality after half time and we able to nab the win in the end, 50-44. Kingston Blues Opens team have had an extremely strong start to the year, recruiting well and drawing on the confidence of their veteran athletes, this match up was no exception. The Blues stormed home for a 74-33.
Ending the evening with a 47 goal victory over Karana, Kingston Blues took out their eighth annual Speak Up Stay ChatTY Sheild.
In the next match for the round, Cripps headed down to the South East Stadium to meet South East Suns on their home turf. The 19&U match was a one-sided affair, with a young Cripps side finding their feet and taking the win 75-31. The Opens was a different story. A tight contest, South East Suns managed to shut down the Cripps drive for the majority of the match. In the end, Cripps took the win 39-30. This was our featured match up of the week, our Player of the Match is Cripps goalie, Bellah Parker.
In our last match up, we head up to the North of the state for the Cavaliers V Devon. The 19&U overpowered the defending premiers to take the win 43 -35. Lily Padman was dominant in goals, along with consistency across the rest of the court snagged Devon their 3rd win of the season. The Opens Cavaliers continued their impressive 2025 season, with zero losses so far this year they are proving to be the ones to beat. A masterclass from GS Hayley McDougall resulted in a thirty goal win, 68-38. Hayley is also our Hot Shot for round 6, with 52 goals in total.
Our 19&U Hot Shot is again, Ebony McGinniss who shot 37 goals in total.
