Both the State Netball Centre and Oakleigh Recreation Centre set the backdrop yet again for Round 3 of VNL on Wednesday evening, as audiences were treated to some cracking matches.
Highlights included Peninsula co-captain Gabby Dwyer celebrating 100 VNL games, Melbourne University Lightning sisters Jordan and Zoe Cransberg taking on North East Blaze sisters Alex and Georgia Moody in the Championship division and six VNL teams making it three on the trot.
Read on below to check out the rest of the action.
CHAMPIONSHIP
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 55 def by ARIELS 57
GEELONG COUGARS 71 def PENINSULA 39
CITY WEST FALCONS 77 def BOROONDARA EXPRESS 55
HAWKS NETBALL 52 def by CASEY DEMONS NETBALL 56
NORTH EAST BLAZE 43 def by MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 59
The heat was on at Oakleigh Recreation Centre, as the Saints and Ariels dueled it out in a hair-raiser. While Ariels managed to convert at key moments to secure a 2-goal win, their first of the season, the sharp-shooting Saints (89% accuracy, 55/62) were never too far behind, adding intense pressure to every Ariels’ play. Ariels and Saints now sit 7th and 8th on the Championship table respectively.
Meanwhile, on Court 2 of the State Netball Centre, the Cougars capitalised on a strong start in their showdown against Peninsula, snatching the first four goals of the match and harnessing their momentum to ultimately win by 32 goals. Though Peninsula remained determined in trying to get over the line for 100-gamer and co-captain Gabby Dwyer, the Cougars’ consistency and defensive pressure proved intractable. The victory now places Cougars in second place on the Championship ladder, while Peninsula sit 10th.
Boroondara Express had plenty of external motivation for their battle against the Falcons, as Express teammate and Melbourne Vixens debutant Hannah Mundy eagerly watched on from the sidelines. However, riding high on last week’s win over Peninsula, City West were keen to add another win to their name.
A fast-paced, evenly matched affair to begin with, it wasn’t until the third quarter where Falcons suddenly broke away with an 18-goal lead.
When asked what prompted such a significant shift in dynamic during the ‘premiership quarter’, Falcons goaler Madelyn Gray simply responded, “we just pulled our finger out!”
“At half time, we said that we were just going to go hard, finish our leads and change of direction, and I think we just implemented that well.
“Our connections worked really well and our defence was awesome… we just took off and I’m really proud of the team for that.”
Gray was also complimentary of her team’s signature zone defence, in enabling the Falcons to attain a 22-goal victory in the end.
“We’ve definitely been focusing on our zone defence in training on Sunday nights which is awesome and it’s really come together well.
“Even at our attack end, we’re looking awesome too so I think we’ll just get stronger as the season progresses.”
Back at Oakleigh Recreation Centre and donning their new second playing strip, Hawks Netball were keen to upset Casey’s perfect winning streak. However, with Casey goaler Emma Ryde shooting at 90% accuracy (scoring 44/49) and Tayla Honey asserting her dominance in the midcourt, it was a tough ask for Hawks to overcome Casey’s 10-goal lead. Steered by star midcourter Jasmine Ferguson, Hawks managed to claw back a portion of the margin, but it simply wasn’t enough in the end.
Casey’s win maintains their position at the top of the ladder, while Hawks are 6th.
It was a battle of the sisters on Court 5, as MUL’s Jordan and Zoe Cransberg took on Blaze’s Alex and Georgia Moody.
Though MUL maintained the lead on the scoreboard for much of the match, it was a tight contest out on court.
Blaze goaler Nyah Allen showed fight early, chasing up every loose ball in her attacking third and rebounding strongly.
Meanwhile, MUL’s Kelsie Rainbow was a force to be reckoned with in the midcourt, drawing intercepts and supplying her goalers with excellent feeds.
Ultimately, the odds were in Lightning’s favour, though MUL’s Shae Brown couldn’t quite believe the final score line.
“It was a real grind today… we were just looking at the scoreboard before in disbelief because we didn’t think we had won by that much.
“For us, it really isn’t about the outcome, it’s about the processes and Blaze put up an absolutely fierce battle tonight… they were so patient, good with their bodies and so accurate in the ring, so for us, it was a matter of making sure that we were utilising a full court defence, because we knew that as soon as they got in that ring, it was going to make it really hard for our defenders.”
Brown additionally emphasised how fortunate she feels to be a part of such a talented side.
“It’s really cool when you’re just so inspired by the players that you’re around and that’s what I’m loving about this season… I look around at the girls and think, you’re all just a bunch of superstars! And I feel so privileged to be able to play with them all.
“It feels fun… I’m really embracing netball for what it is, I’m an older player in the group and I’m just loving enjoying the sport, so training is fun, the games are fun and hanging out with the girls is fun.
“For me, if I’ve got that, there’s nothing I can actually lose.”
DIVISION 1
HAWKS NETBALL 45 def CASEY DEMONS NETBALL 38
NORTH EAST BLAZE 65 def MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 44
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 38 def by ARIELS 52
GEELONG COUGARS 55 def PENINSULA 48
CITY WEST FALCONS 36 def by BOROONDARA EXPRESS 66
Following a heartbreaking 1-goal loss to North East Blaze in Round 2, the Hawks rocked up to Oakleigh Recreation Centre raring to redeem themselves in their clash against Casey.
Despite scores being level at quarter time (11-11), Hawks were able to find their spark during the second quarter and consequently generated a 7-goal buffer by half time.
An exciting third quarter saw Casey fight back, utilising some great ball movement and clean passing to reduce the deficit to 3 goals, only to have Hawks’ Elle Rice come out firing in the fourth, converting all 10 of her attempts (100% accuracy) and leading her side to a 7-goal victory.
Some slick midcourt work, creative feeding and consistent goaling from the get-go saw Blaze take out their third win of the season over MUL.
In seizing the lead from the first quarter and extending it at every break thereafter, Blaze captain Samantha Coppinger was proud of her team’s grit in their 21-goal triumph.
“I think today was a real team performance… in the last couple of weeks, we struggled to kind of break away and it’s been very up-and-back.
“I think we were able to use everyone and we had a really strong team performance and I think our defensive pressure over the full 60 [minutes] was really important.”
Despite Blaze now making it three on the trot, the ever-humble Coppinger maintained that her side were still taking things one week at a time.
“I guess it’s always nice to win, but we try not to think about last week too much. Instead, we’ve been trying to build on our game plan and what we need to do, and I think tonight, especially defensively, we took it up a notch.
“I just think we need to keep building week by week and I think using everyone in the team has been really good – everyone’s been working really hard, especially the new girls in our team who are playing their first VNL games.”
As for her take on the key contributors on the night, Coppinger couldn’t overlook midcourter Emily O’Brien.
“For Em today, it was her first game of VNL and the poor thing has had some injury issues along the way, so for her to come in and play a full game in wing defence tonight, she absolutely dominated, so it was awesome to see.
“It’s just been really exciting that we can get everyone on the court and keep building on our game plan.”
Keen to regain their winning streak after encountering a 20-goal loss in Round 2, Ariels set the tone early in their contest against the Saints, posting a 6-goal lead by quarter time.
But their efforts were swiftly countered by the Saints in the second term, as trusty captain Sarah Matthews led by example in the midcourt, delivering some brilliant feeds to her goalers Mia Washington and Annabelle Gorman to tie the game up at 23 goals a-piece by half time.
Undeterred by a relentless Saints outfit however, Ariels lapped up the challenge and managed to break away in the third and fourth quarter, ultimately cementing a 14-goal victory.
A game of momentum, the encounter between Cougars and Peninsula had audiences hooked from the opening whistle.
While Peninsula looked to have control of the game early, amassing a 5-goal lead by quarter time, the Cougars did not shy away from the task, with goaler and captain Georgina Cuthbertson shooting at 100% accuracy (7/7) throughout the second term. Her efforts, in tandem with livewire Zara Walters’ speed and give-and-go in the midcourt, allowed the Cougars to snatch a 1-goal lead by half time (27-26).
From that point forth, though Peninsula delivered some exciting moments, the match was on the Cougars’ terms as they stormed away by 7 goals in the end, extending their unblemished record.
In what was Boroondara’s only win on the night, the Division 1 Express team came out firing, with goal shooter Anastasia Hamill scoring at perfect accuracy (19/19) in the first quarter.
Though City West were desperate to secure their first win of the season, Express’ 20-goal lead by half time (17-37) proved insurmountable for the Falcons, despite the efforts of their co-captains Toni Lind and Bess Schnioffsky in attack and defence respectively.
The victory solidifies Boroondara’s place in the top 3, as they now look toward their clash against the Saints in Round 4.
19&U
CITY WEST FALCONS 48 def BOROONDARA EXPRESS 42
HAWKS NETBALL 52 def CASEY DEMONS 44
NORTH EAST BLAZE 50 def by MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 57
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 43 def by ARIELS 45
GEELONG COUGARS 41 def by PENINSULA 69
Court 3 played host to a tight contest between the Falcons and Boroondara, with both teams missing scoring opportunities early on due to some phenomenal defensive pressure.
A goal defence intercept frenzy between Falcons’ Mikaela Minns and Express’ Bree Lane was well-received by crowds, as play then went goal-for-goal.
However, errant passes and uncharacteristic footwork errors from Express allowed the Falcons to eventually seize a 7-goal lead in the third quarter and then a 6-goal margin by the final whistle.
As Falcons goaler Elisa Hall stated, “In that third quarter, we just realized that we should pick it up, clean it up a little bit and get the voices up, keep motivating the girls and when we make an error, just keep going and not get our heads down.
“It was really good [out there], the feeding was good as usual, just keeping our voices up and communicating was really important and we were able to do that.
“Training was also really important for us [this week], it allowed us to pick up from where we left off and allow us to see where all of our mistakes were, so it was really good for us to have that going into the game.”
Hall was also complimentary of teammate Kahlan Tanoi’s game on the night.
“I think Kahlan [Tanoi] was really good at sticking on the body and making sure that it was hard for her player to get the ball.”
The victory marks Falcons’ first win of the season.
Still yet to be beaten in the competition, the Hawks held their nerve in their 8-goal triumph over Casey at Oakleigh Recreation Centre.
Though Casey managed to claw back late in the game, inspired by some impressive play from captain Annabelle Williams in defence, Hawks’ 18-goal lead at the end of the third term was simply too great for Casey to overcome.
The Hawks now sit second on the 19&U ladder, while a winless Casey are 10th.
Attributing their win to full-court defence and some solid goaling performances, MUL captain Grace Markovic was in high spirits following her side’s 7-goal victory over Blaze.
But the triumph certainly didn’t come easy.
“I definitely felt like the game was tight for the whole time… it never felt as though we had a strong lead or anything, it just felt like we were competing for every ball.
“Every shot that got in was a sigh of relief for us and we were then getting ready for the next centre pass to try and get another turnover.”
Though Blaze defensive duo Ally Langdon and Jacque De Lazzari worked tirelessly to minimise the influence of MUL goalers Claire Oakley and Lavinia Fox, Markovic thought her teammates responded well.
“Claire and Lavinia did a stand-out job today, especially with two of our other goalers injured, so the pressure was really on and they both stood up to the challenge.
“I think this match today really helped boost our confidence for the season… it’s a win that we needed and I think all the girls are starting to find their spot in the team which is great and sets us up well for the season, so it’s very exciting.”
With only 2 goals separating the teams in the end, the showdown between Saints and Ariels at Oakleigh Recreation Centre was one to watch.
Though Ariels assumed the lead early, Saints were unrelenting and managed to claw back the margin across the remainder of the match.
The final stanza saw both teams tussle it out, with Saints captain Laura Cole leading a sublime attacking display as Ariels goalers Emily Andrew and Taylah Werner looked to convert every opportunity they had.
Regrettably for Saints however, their efforts weren’t enough in the end, as Ariels came away with the victory.
And lastly, the odds were in favour of an in-form and top-of-the-ladder Peninsula, in defeating Geelong Cougars by 28 goals on Court 2.
The Cougars were unable to shut down Peninsula’s highly dynamic midcourter and captain Abby Williams, as she provided strong drives and razor-sharp passes to her goalers, in enabling her side to extend their lead at every break.
While Cougars goalers Brooke Wilson, Tess Campigli and Tegan Line fought hard to play catch-up, Peninsula were simply too good on the night.
Waves will now look to extend their perfect run against Ariels next week.
