Geraldton Water Polo Association finals: Demons’ top sides trounce opponents to seal grand final place

Demons booked their place in both A-grade grand finals on Saturday afternoon, with dominant wins in the women’s and men’s semifinals of the Geraldton water polo season. The resounding victories to Demons means their top men’s and women’s team will face off against B52’s in the grand finals on Saturday. In the women’s A-grade semifinal, Demons defeated Serpents 19–2 in a result that did not fully reflect the tenacity and resilience of a committed Serpents side. Demons controlled the match throughout, but Serpents contested hard and played with enthusiasm despite the scoreline. Demons’ Billie Marshall was outstanding, finishing with six goals while applying strong defensive pressure. It was a complete team performance, with hat tricks from Saskia Newman and Abbie McDonald, and four goals added by Olivia Higgs. The standout was goalkeeper Mel Bennett, whose pinpoint defence included three saved penalties and ensured Demons maintained control from start to finish. Serpents found positives through Gilly Johnson, Fiona Angelatos and Laila Kenyon, all of whom worked tirelessly across the pool. The men’s A-grade semifinal followed later in the afternoon, with Demons overpowering Rats 31–7. Demons led from the opening seconds and were already 6–0 ahead at the first break. Once the floodgates opened, the goals came thick and fast. Demons’ Zacc Cross produced a remarkable nine-goal performance, with strong support from brother Joel Cross with five and Ted Kerr with four. Drew Macgregor was energetic in goal and Bruce Macdonald held the team together throughout the game. Demons’ pace, depth and fitness simply proved too much for Rats as they battled through four quarters. . Luke Neuwert scored three goals and Alex Trusso added two, but Demons always had energy in reserve and never looked like relinquishing control. The B-grade semifinals were played on Friday night, beginning with the women’s match where ladder leaders Serpents defeated fourth placed B52’s 11–7 in a contest that was far tighter than the ladder suggested. B52’s led early and held Serpents at bay through the first half, with Emily Canny and Opal Prout influential. Serpents lifted after the break, with impressive play from Grace Johnson and Kalani Cotto helping them build a scoreboard buffer. Later on, Rats edged out Demons Black in a thrilling women’s B-grade semifinal decided by penalty shootout after scores were locked at 8–8. Charlotte Crawford and Esta Penberthy combined for seven goals for Rats, while Maggie Piers led Demons Black with three and Mirika Hall with two. The men’s B-grade semifinal was another strong contest, with Demons claiming a 16–10 victory over Rats. Cruz and Finn Henderson starred for the winners, combining for nine goals. Rats stayed in touch through Bodhi Smith, who scored five, and Sean Andrews with two, before Demons pulled away in the second quarter, with a late goal from Ben Ebsary sealing the win. In the C-grade semifinals, Serpents Green and Demons Yellow came out on top in the women’s, while Demons took the win in the men’s.