Football
15 September, 2025
Harrow Balmoral claim historic three-peat
Harrow Balmoral have extended their reign in the Horsham District Football Netball League, defeating Noradjuha Quantong in Saturday’s senior football grand final to claim their third straight premiership.
As well as being the club's first time winning three in a row, it means Harrow Balmoral have won five of the last six completed seasons.
The final score was Harrow Balmoral 10.7 (67) to Noradjuha Quantong 2.11 (23).
In great conditions at Natimuk Showgrounds, a hotly contested first quarter was played out, with the Bombers getting some early opportunities before Judah Hobbs scored the first goal of the game.
Noradjuha Quantong’s backline, led by the return of Wade Francis, was able to stifle Harrow’s forward 50 entries as the Bombers went up 9-2 at quarter-time.
But the reigning premiers fought back, with Jai Thompson and Mitchell Grant kicking goals midway through the second quarter.
With Noradjuha Quantong struggling to get on target, the Southern Roos took a 17-12 lead into half-time.
Two minutes into the third quarter Simon Close was able to capitalise on a loose ball for a Harrow Balmoral goal and the Southern Roos continued the momentum with goals to Cody Deutscher and Archer Cameron shortly after.
The Bombers responded with a runaway goal to Jye Walters to make it 35-21, and two minutes later Walters had a close set shot after a spectacular mark but was unable to convert.
The Southern Roos reassumed control of the game, consistently retaining possession with decisive handballing and kicking, as Simon Close scored two more goals, while Mitchell Grant scored again to give them a 54-22 lead at three-quarter-time.
Despite the efforts of the Bombers, Harrow Balmoral maintained control of the game, with Peter Staude and Cody Deutscher kicking goals as the Southern Roos finished 44-point winners.
Staude was named best on ground after a great performance in the midfield, while Simon Close, Charlie Johnston and Thompson were among the best for the Southern Roos.
Dyson Parish, Zach Kelly, Francis and Walter were among the better performers for the Bombers.
Harrow Balmoral coach Thompson said the effort of the playing group to produce a third consecutive premiership was incredible.
“It’s amazing,” Thompson said.
“Getting here we spoke a lot about breaking walls and we just knew we had to do everything out of the ordinary to get it.
“Three in a row’s really hard.
"We'd already got the money in the bank with two.
"It's easy enough just to let it slip and not do all the right things, knowing that you've got the two, it doesn't really matter about the third.
“But the boys have been phenomenal all year just to be able to continue to do the right things, continue to put pressure on their teammates to get better and better.
“Three in a row is an amazing achievement.
"There's not too many clubs that get there and for this club to be able to do it over the past three years, it’s just been phenomenal.
"It's been a real treat to be a part of it.”
Thompson said he expected both sides to come out strong, acknowledging that the team’s discipline and persistence paid off.
“I knew it was going to be hot early,” Thompson said.
“That's what finals footy is about, grand finals especially.
"There's always heat on the contest.
"Both teams come out fresh and ready to go.
“Our defence was super in that first quarter, just being able to lock it down.
“I knew if we just held on until that quarter-time siren, eventually in that second quarter I could just feel a bit of a shift.
“Coming out of half-time, that’s where we really started to put the pressure on.
“When you’re in a grand final everything gets a bit flustery and you can start to lose a little bit, get some individuals trying to play their own game.
“I knew that if we could all stay structured and play our roles, that was going to be massive for us to be able to win the game, and the boys were able to do that.”
Regarding the best-on-ground performance from Staude, Thompson acknowledged the importance of the midfielder to the side.
“Pete was awesome, was bloody fantastic all day and has been all year,” Thompson said.
“He's probably our most consistent player.
"He plays every week, he never complains about the role he has to play.
“He's just in and under, so strong around the contest, and his ability to be able to win the ball for us in the middle and to be able to get it to us on the outside, it's something that's really rare and something that's hard to find in this league.
"I think he's probably the best at it.
“We've got so many players who probably overshadow him in the media and everything else but internally he's probably our most important player.”
Noradjuha Quantong coach Damian Cameron said his side showed some positive signs early but struggled to respond once Harrow Balmoral got momentum.
“We just played that first quarter by using our work rate, using our pace and pressure, and I thought we did it really well,” Cameron said.
“And then the second quarter, we had enough ball and probably wasted some goal opportunities.
“We know the way Harrow want to play and we held it off pretty well for a half, but once they started getting on a roll we probably went into panic mode and went away from what we were doing, stopped bringing our teammates into play and all our pressure went away a little bit.”
Despite the disappointing conclusion to their season, Cameron said he was pleased the team’s efforts all year, also acknowledging Noradjuha Quantong’s achievements in other results throughout the day.
“Although we didn't get the cup today, I call it a successful season,” Cameron said.
“Our numbers on the track in the year were huge, the guys all get around each other, it's a fun group, and a big final series to make the grand final was a win in itself.
“Obviously disappointing not to get the premiership but the under 14s and reserves won, and our C grade netball won, so as far as the club goes, super proud.”
