On Sunday 15 September, Netball NSW held the DOOLEYS Metro League Grand Final Day at Netball Central in Sydney Olympic Park with each Division playing its showpiece on the same day.
From the Development Series all the way through to Division 1, each decider took place on the Show Court with athletes demonstrating incredible sportsmanship, passion and energy on a fantastic day of netball action.
Netball NSW would like to thank DOOLEYS for their continued support of the Metro League competition and netball across the State.
Here is an overview of how each Division was decided:
Division 1
The games to decide the Finals Series of Division 1 came down to the last round of the regular season, with the last spot in the top four being decided on goal percentage. While Eastwood Ryde were comfortable at the top of the table, they took an equally comfortable win against Northern Suburbs to secure their spot in the Grand Final. However, Northern Suburbs wanted redemption and held on in the Preliminary Final against Ku-ring-gai, winning by just one goal to lock in a spot in the big dance. With Eastwood Ryde being the defending champions in 2024, and Northern Suburbs taking out the 2024 Senior State Titles, the latter wanted a double and were going to put in a fight to get it. And while they came close in the decider (the game was even up until the fourth quarter), Eastwood Ryde surged home to take out the title 47-40.
- Winners: Eastwood Ryde
- Runners up: Northern Suburbs
Division 2
The top five positions on the ladder of Division 2 were separated by single digits and fans had to wait until Round 18 to see who would play Finals. Camden & District locked in their Grand Final spot in a tight game against Campbelltown District in the Semi Finals, forcing the Minor Premiers to play in the Prelim Final. Unfortunately for them, Randwick (who finished the regular season in fourth place) and did not mess around in the Prelim and took out an 11-goal win to ensure their spot against Camden. In the decider Camden led going into the third quarter before Randwick burst into life to hold a seven-goal lead at three-quarter time. They kept the pressure on to finish the game 52-39 in what was a special day for the Association with three different teams in Grand Final action.
- Winners: Randwick
- Runners up: Camden & District
Division 3
In this Division the top four teams all finished the regular season within 10 points of each other, but the Finals Series did not play out how it was expected to. Hills District finished the season in top position, with Parramatta Auburn, Bankstown City and Liverpool following closely behind. Parramatta Auburn had a point to prove, coming out firing against Hills in the Major Semi Final and earning their Grand Final spot with a 50-36 victory. It put Hills on a collision course with Bankstown City in the Prelim and it was the latter who ended the former’s season with an upset one-goal win. The decider was an epic. The game ebbed and flowed from start to finish and it wasn't until Bankstown surged home in the final quarter that the title was theirs (46-42).
- Winners: Bankstown City
- Runners up: Parramatta Auburn
Division 4
This year in Division 4, Penrith District came out firing, winning 17 of their 18 regular-season games to finish eight points clear of second place and cement a spot in the Grand Final in the first round of the Finals. Their reward was a date with Eastwood Ryde in the big dance after they overcame Ku-ring-gai in the Prelims. The decider was tight from the start with only a few goals between the sides, however, Penrith kept their edge to run out 47-40 victors. This result meant this Penrith team went back-to-back in Grand Final victories, having moved up from Division 5 in 2023.
- Winners: Penrith
- Runners up: Eastwood Ryde
Division 5
In the Division 5 Grand Final Central Coast came up against Randwick. Central Coast were the Division leaders in 2024 on 30 points with Randwick sitting closely behind on 28, however, the northerners put their foot down against the Wicks in the Semis, taking out a 10-point victory. Randwick proved too strong for Ku-ring-gai in the Prelim to book a rematch with Central Coast in the decider but the latter were too strong and took out the title 42-32.
- Winners: Central Coast
- Runners Up: Randwick
Development Series
2024 saw the introduction of the Metro League Development Series, and it delivered! This fresh competition allowed for younger-aged players to gain experience in a senior competition. The Grand Final pitched Hawkesbury City against Randwick. The team from the East took bragging rights during the regular season before Hawkesbury imposed themselves for victory in the Major Semi Final. However, the Grand Final saw Randwick get revenge as they ran out comfortable winners: 51-37.
- Winners: Randwick
- Runners up: Hawkesbury City
