After the excitement of the nail biting one goal victory in extra time over Fairfield Sydney Uni - Eastwood Ryde were pumped up to take on the fancied Hunter Jays in the final. The Jays are the feeder team for the National League Hunter Jaegers and were the favourites to topple Eastwood Ryde as they had defeated the team previously in Round 1 50 -46 and in the second round 60 -45.

With a large crowd to support the girls, they started the game on fire. With Courtney Rugg at centre combining with the dynamic WA Nicole Harrison, the shooters had a field day, outplaying the defence. Joanne Day (GA) and Sally Cain (GS) were confident and took on the opposition shooting goals almost at will. The defence end of Jessica Calderara (GK) and Malia Rogers (GD) shut down the Jays attack end - no matter what combination the Jays threw at them and Tiffany Normand at WD ensured the hard work of the circle defenders was rewarded by working tirelessly in the centre third to bring the ball down to the attack end.

Eastwood Ryde was well supported by the bench who cheered and supported the girls on court - Eliza Treble, Suzanne Teulan, Amanda Smith and Alex Mecham, along with the injured Amanda Tutty.

The girls led comfortably at every break - but the Jays were not done! They threw everything at the team in the last quarter upping the pace and the physical nature of the game. Whilst this unsettled the ERNA team, they gained their composure - and with the thought of a Grand Final spot on the line they ran out winners 54 - 46. The team, the coaches, the bench, the supporters went wild…. an Eastwood Ryde team into the Grand Final in division 1 for the first time in over 20 years!

Backing up for the Grand Final on Saturday was always going to be a hard task. The starting line up of Suzanne Teulan, Malia Rogers, Tiffany Normand, Courtney Rugg, Nicole Harrison, Joanne Day and Sally Cain had to overcome both nerves and the clinical display of netball by the Storm. The Storm raced out to a 6 goal lead at the first break and ERNA were hard pressed to counter the physical plays of the Storm who had a commanding lead at the half time break. With changes to the team in the second half - Jessica Calderara at GK and Alex Mecham at WD ERNA managed to put on a brave fight right until the final whistle to go down 45 - 54.

Whilst the Sydney Storm secured the victory for the feeder team of the successful Sydney Swifts, the Eastwood Ryde team can take great pride in not only reaching the Grand Final in the Waratah Cup but also in the fact that they are the highest ranked Association team in the competition. Coach Anita Keelan and Assistant Coach Charlene Sommerville commended the team not only on their athletic ability but also their dedication to the game and the Eastwood Ryde Association.

The Eastwood Ryde netball teams rely heavily on the support of the Association and the many hours put in by volunteers. With Div 1 and Div 7 in the Grand Final, Div 4 reaching the final, combined with the outstanding results at State Championships - 19 /under State Champions and tremendous State Age results it has been an outstanding year. With the support of sponsors and club officials and fundraising events Eastwood Ryde continues to be one of the most successful Associations in NSW.