By Matt Fotia
New South Wales have maintained their Marie Little Shield crown, winning the 2025 edition in thrilling fashion, holding off rivals Victoria by just four goals (13-9) at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena on Sunday.
The back-to-back champions once again went through the tournament undefeated, despite scares from Victoria and South Australia during the playoff rounds.
The Grand Final defeat was the only loss Victoria suffered in their own impressive showing, while South Australia managed to hold off Western Australia by seven goals (21-14) to once again claim third place.
In the other positional play-offs, Tasmania defeated hosts Queensland by just two (12-10) to finish fifth, while the Northern Territory claimed a stirring victory against the Australian Captial Territory, 10-7, in the seventh-place play-off fixture.
There was a three way tie for the Naomi Perry Spirit Award.Victorian star Jessica McCulloch was recognised as Player of the Tournament for her fantastic performances on all three days of the competition, and there was a three-way tie for the Naomi Perry Spirit Award, with South Australia’s Alysia Potts, Western Australia’s Mikayla Carter and Queensland’s Emily Kennedy sharing the award.
