Monday, 17 February 2025
SAMMNA Super League Grand Final
Garville vs Matrics

Tonight’s penultimate match up has arrived. After a season of increasing pressure, hard training, drills, strategies, tactics and building team cohesion, the athletes and their coaching staff are now ready to strive for premiership glory. Coaches, their assistants, team managers, physiotherapists and support staff have all had an important contribution to this point in time. However, week after week match schedules are planned, umpires and scorers, courts and timers are allocated like clockwork so that each week players can play and spectators can enjoy quality men’s netball!
But……how does this happen?
I’ll tell you how, Sunshine Super girl Alexa-Rae Austin-Oschmanns. She is the super glue that holds all this together.
Magnificent organisational and management skills combined with an unbridled passion for men’s netball and its growth, Alexa is sunshine….see her smile……super girl as she does all of this without wearing a cape or even roller skates!
In 2022 and into 2023 Alexa volunteered and soon after joined the Board of SAMMNA. At the same time her own skills as a player saw her represent SA in the Mixed Reserves at the 2023 Perth Nationals and come away with a gold medal. In both 2024 and again this year Alexa has and will don the goal attack bib whilst representing the State.
She retired in 2019 as an elite player for Woods Panthers (Now South Adelaide) and when approached by Reynella Football Club to start a netball club she was up for the challenge. The Reynella Netball Club has absolutely thrived under her leadership so much so that they now have teams in both SUNA and AMND competitions, and they were grand finalists last year. Alexa is currently Head of Netball Operations at  Reynella NC.
In 2023 she took over the role of Competitions Manager for SAMMNA Super League and has been pivotal in setting up this competition. Her vision is immense as she has instituted progressive initiatives that will see the Super League teams expand, attract more players and most importantly ensure clubs look to pathways for underage teams to incrementally move through progressive age groups. The future of men’s netball is ensured.
So, after the conclusion of tonight’s final whilst cheering and celebrating your team and applauding your favourite players, please add some applause for the Sunshine Super girl, Alexa Rae!

Garville undefeated all season on paper would appear favourites, Matrics however, challenged them in their last encounter. It has the makings of a classic encounter! A huge crowd has filled the stadium, an indication of the support for these two elite teams and, the quality netball they both deliver.
The high pressure match began with a stunning interception by Matrics keeper Liam Cornish. From the outset it was tight, hard, classic netball, peckered with stunning interceptions and aerial deflections by both teams. Garville’s goalers Ben Clarke and young Kruz Wilson soon got into their groove ably supported by the silky transition of Saxon Hay and Aalen Davis. Matrics soon matched as Tom Cross at wing attack and Will O’Callaghan centre drove the ball onto and around their goal circle finding Alec Davis to score. It was goal for goal, tight, tense and spectacular netball. Matric’s goal attack William Sampson missed a few crucial goals and Garville’s keeper Ben Ryan ate up the missed goals with his aerial rebounding brilliance, and capitalised on errors that saw them go three goals ahead at the first break.
Garville 14.     Matrics 11.
The second quarter began highlighted by intense full court defensive pressure by both teams. Kruz Wilson’s poise under pressure belies his young age and his deft circle movement and beautifully classic shooting action is a delight for the netball purist. Tom Cross continued to work hard creating opportunities for Matrics to keep abreast of Garville. Hay’s brilliance around the defensive goal circle and third caused error in Matrics attack. Garville’s attacking unit was aided by their bullet like precision passes and tight full court defence. Wilson and Clarke were still on song in their goal circle well supported by Aalen Davis’s creative play in the transition to the goal circle.
Garville had pushed out to a three goal lead by the end of the second quarter, scoring 16 to Matrics 13.
Half time scores:
Garville 30.      Matrics 24.

With their confidence growing Garville began the third quarter with easier passages to the goal circle, their transition open and flowing, their timing spot on, and their goalers accurate. Ben Ryan’s reading of play, strong marking, his flying interceptions and stunning rebounds was causing problems for Matrics. They were finding it difficult to counter both Garville’s flow and full court defensive pressure. Saxon Hay’s move to wing defence added to the defensive power of Garville. Saxon is a delight to watch in full flight.
As the quarter moved to the final minutes Garville fired up their turbo chargers and put the foot down. A stand out quarter for Garville, particularly dynamic Ben Ryan at keeper and super cool Kruz Wilson at shooter. 
Garville won the third 18 goals to 9.
Third quarter scores: 
Garville 48.      Matrics 33.

Both coaching teams rung changes throughout the match and the final quarter was no exception. Garville clearly started the final quarter on a mission….. to get their hands onto that premiership cup! Matrics took a while to stand up to the pressure but began to rally after a shaky start. Both teams were attacking hard with some brilliant passages of play and Ben Ryan continued to challenge defensively with outstanding aerial skills and reading of play. As the final quarter drew to a close Matrics rallied a challenge but Garville remained unfazed with eyes on that trophy. They held on for a comfortable victory.
Garville 61.    Matrics 44.
Standout performances by Ben Ryan and Kruz Wilson combined with a full focussed team effort were well rewarded. Several crowd members commented on how the diminutive coaching maestro Judy Greenwood quietly imparts her pearls of wisdom to her towering lads and they clearly look to her for these.
Congratulations Garville on a brilliant premiership victory. Having been unbeaten all season it is a real credit to your resilience, your cohesion and strength as well as the impact Jake Taylor and Judy Greenwood have in training preparing and planning your output each week!
Matrics and Matt Harrison so close but denied again. They say that the third quarter is the premiership quarter as you have felt that in this final. Hold your heads up high. You have been a potent force all season and will continue to grow, develop and challenge in the future.

I was fortunate to have a chat to  the Player of the Match Ben Ryan.
Ben commented on his teams nervous start but once they got going they performed like a well oiled machine. He believes that the hard trainings have paid off, focussing on open creative attack and strong defence.
Ben is also training with the SA Open Men’s team in preparation for the Nationals in Melbourne in eight weeks. Next Wednesday they front up against the Adelaide Thunderbirds in a training match. Ben is part of a powerful defensive combination that includes Nate Wood and Caleb Barnden in the Open team. IMPRESSIVE 
Ben had a long record of both state and national representation and much to his credit, after two ACL injuries his resilience and capacity for hard work to get back to elite level is testament to his resilience and determination. Ben is hoping his Open team will build on the success from 2024 and challenge the power states, Victoria and New South Wales. Ben’s long term aim is Kelpie representation and I think that is on the cards.
Congratulations on a HUGE performance tonight.