The Victorian 17/Under side secured a triumphant victory in their semi-final clash to progress to the grand final this morning against New South Wales while our 19/Under side will be fighting it out for the bronze medal.
17/Under: Victoria (35) defeated South Australia (34)
Victoria have progressed to the Netball Championship final tomorrow after a stunning one goal victory over South Australia. It was an incredibly tight tussle for most of the match with Victoria going into the half time break with a mere one goal lead.
Lily Graham and Emma Winfield once again proved to be a handful for the South Australian defenders with the pair combining nicely in the goal circle. The transition down court was made seamless with Charlotte Morey moving into wing attack towards the second quarter, really injecting that speed out on the centre pass and onto the circle edge. Morey and Millie Hogg continued to impress through the midcourt with their flair and creativity coming to the fore. Towards the end of the final quarter South Australia got a few turnovers in a row to get back within one goal of Victoria with two minutes left. The intensity increased across the court with neither side willing to back down without a fight but the grit and determination of the Victorians rung true with goal keeper Eliza Molino, captain Mia van Wyk and Montaya Sardi in wing defence all doubling down to get their side over the line in an emphatic come-from-behind win.
19/Under: Victoria (34) defeated by South Australia (40)
The 19/Under side went down by a six goals in their semi-final match against South Australia. The game was even to start with before South Australia started to pull ahead with just over five minutes to go in the first term. Victoria headed into the first break with an eight goal deficit and while they steadily plugged away at it they just fell short. Some early turnovers proved costly with the foundations really being set by South Australia, despite a really strong second quarter from the Victorians.
Despite the margin, the pressure from Victoria was immense with pressure on almost every pass that South Australia made. Goal keeper Melissa Oloamanu applied a wealth of defensive pressure to try and limit the easy access into the goal circle for SA.. Captain Zara Walters led by example in centre, providing that drive through the middle of the court for Victoria. The pairing of Olivia Wilkinson and Emily Andrew worked well in the goal circle with the pair really playing off each other when it came to their movements in the goal circle but the side simply could not do enough to get over the line.
Tune in to watch the 17/Under Victorian side vye for the Championship title in their grand final today at 11.45am live and free via Kayo Freebies.
