Head to the Anzac Park courts on Saturday and you'll find plenty of mothers and daughters playing together in the Orange Netball Association senior competition.
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But it's rare to find them lining up against each other as was the case in the Life Studio Mid West Eyes and Vipers division one clash on June 1.
Mother Suz Simpson (Vipers) and daughter Grace Simpson (Life Studio) took to the court in the former's 63-29 win.
Although she said Grace was enjoying the independence of playing on her own team, it didn't stop her from passing on some motherly advice mid-game.
"It was really fun, I had to take some penalties where she was out of play where I was able to give her some feedback through teammates to keep going," she said.
"It's tough, they are 16-year olds playing against women who have played for a long time so it's challenging. You want them to do well.
"She's going really well. She's keeping and developing her skills. I'm really proud of her."
![Grace and Suz Simpson ready to face each other in the Orange Netball Association division one competition. Picture by Jude Keogh Grace and Suz Simpson ready to face each other in the Orange Netball Association division one competition. Picture by Jude Keogh](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131358433/fd0df89c-1978-4d9d-a59e-92989a0b12df_rotated_90.JPG/r0_979_5504_4569_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Grace is entering her third season while Suz is finally making a return to top-grade netball after two decades after a spot on the Vipers roster opened up.
She said the physicality of the game in 2024 stood out to her as she was thrown in the deep end with the 2023 runners-up.
"Just finally having older children and having the time to get myself in a position where I could play division one," she said.
"It's been fun, really fun.
"Doing my representative coordinator job I knew Abby Tilburg. Vipers have been very good at volunteering to be on representative selection committees.
"They had a gap in their team, which I was able to fill.
"I was so nervous. I was hoping they would do a practice match but there wasn't, we went straight into playing Life Studio then Orange City.
"It's a lot more physical, it's really fast and it's just good to see women of a big age range playing competitive netball.
"Preseason training helps. There has been a fair bit of preseason training to get back."
Saturday was also the annual crazy hair and sock day with $958.15 raised for kids cancer research.
Vipers sit atop the ladder with Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical hot on their heels after five rounds.
Life Studio and Hawks Royal Hotel round out the top four while the Orange High School Hornets and knocking on the door, level on points with both sides.