It was a Grand Final night like no other. Eight MLeague teams stepped on court looking to walk off with nothing less than a gold medal around their neck.
Overtime, collisions and victory – this was your 2019 MLeague Grand Final!
Men’s Premier
All eyes were on the fight for premiership glory as reigning premiers Geelong Cougars and rivals St Therese took their positions on court. An array of match ups from the get-go got spectators eager to see the contest play out. Dylan Nexhip taking on Cam Allum down Geelong’s goal end, Corey Nexhip up against Alastair Punshon, and in the midcourt a mix of star players including St Therese’s Riley Richardson and Guy Keane, and Geelong’s Gerard Murphy with Jed Christian.
The first whistle was blown and like that the game was on. St Therese came out with pace to disrupt Geelong’s first centre pass and shoot the first goal of the match. Geelong came back hard to reverse the roles and convert St Therese’s centre to a Geelong goal.
This back and fourth play continued for the rest of the first quarter, the two sides in a tug of war for control of the game. St Therese’s plays possessed direction and force with Guy Keane feeding decisively into Corey Nexhip, who was well and truly sinking his shots. Geelong’s goals looked more shaky than usual with Brayden Pastore missing some shots early on.
As the first quarter neared its end, speed became the enemy of both sides. Players flew down the court but struggled to control the ball in doing so. Riley Richardson began to hesitate to pass while Geelong’s midcourt began to fumble passes. This left Cougars trailing by four goals at the end of the first quarter, 9-13.
Geelong started the second quarter looking for a clap back. Pastore got back into his goaling groove to execute some impressive long bomb and hold his own under the double team defence of Dylan and Matt Longhurst.
A change up in Geelong’s defensive line-up saw tenacity pick up from all angles, Luke Rawlings and Jake Dambrauskas coming on court. Rawling’s reach over the ball began to spook St Therese and Dambrauskas timed his drives perfectly to get a number of touches and some electric intercepts on the circle edge.
Scores tied up at 24-all entering the third quarter, St Therese injected some youthful play with Tristan Comans coming into Wing-Defence. His change of direction and tight play was integral for St Therese. Aside from Comans’ midcourt antics, the third quarter saw a goaling showdown with neither side looking to drop intensity. However, saw drops of the ball by Geelong gave St Therese the lead, once again.
Heading into the fourth quarter it looked as though St Therese had the win, that is until the true intensity we know from Cougars came into play. The ferocity at each goal end hit their peak, Geelong trying to secure every goal they could to make up the difference and St Therese trying to hold the lead they had worked to attain. Dylan Nexhip and Luke Rawlings were iconic in their defensive efforts for their respective teams.
With minutes left, the score ticked between a draw and a victor. It went back and fourth until until everyone’s eyes looked at the scores as the siren went… a draw at 47 a piece.
It was disbelief for the crowd but for the players, they knew this meant extra time.
As the battle continued, the speed of the ball was almost too fast to see. St Therese played incredibly well through the pressure of overtime. Guy Keane was unstoppable in his place and play. As the seconds counted down St Therese were scoring shots and sprinting down the court. St Therese prevailed in the end, bringing the crowd to their feet in a roaring finish to the season.
Grand Final MVP – Guy Keane
From the players:
“We probably started the season a bit slowly, a few inconsistencies with team, but we really built into the season to deliver a rewarding result. We knew it was going to be tough, especially being a 60-minute game that turned into more than that.
“Geelong are a quality side and have been over the last couple years. We knew if we played our brand of netball then we give ourselves every chance. We really had defensive play as a key focus across the court. Everyone knew they had to play their role and I know for a fact our goalers down to our defenders did that.
“Dylan has played an outstanding, winning plenty of ball, but I really think our young players Tristan and Connor have stepped up. To have a fifteen and sixteen year old coming up the ranks to this level, its exciting to see where they go.” – Guy Keane, St Therese
Mixed Premier
Panthers had gone the entire season undefeated and were the undeniable favourites. Geelong had been their fiercest competitor all season though and, with most of their male players just coming off a loss, first place was all that was on their mind.
Both sides entered strong for an even start with plenty of players on their second match for the night. Familiar VNL faces were there for both sides with the likes of Elle McDonald, Uneeq Palavi, Liv Taylor, Julia Wooley, Vanessa Augustini and more.
Geelong came into the match with clear intent, disrupting Panther’s play early on to result a tight contest. Panthers were quick to avenge their slow start, with dynamic midcourt connections between Elle McDonald, Casey Adamson and Riley Richardson. With both sides going hard into the contest, Geelong’s goal end grew to be feisty. Neither team were backing down and this resulted in a tough physical contest. With Brayden Pastore securing a goal on the buzzer for Geelong, only one goal could separate these sides.
Geelong’s drives in the second quarter were instrumental. Julia Wooley and Pastore proved a lethal combination in the goals, especially with the feeds coming from teamwork of Vanessa Augustini and Jake Debrauskas. Scores going goal for goal still, Panthers soon began to elevate their plays.
Brodie Roberts seemed extremely composed considering the stakes at hand. Nonetheless, it allowed him to sink his shots and work well with Uneeq Palavi. This coordination saw Panthers stretch their lead in the third quarter to nine goals, the largest margin of the match yet.
With the pressure towering on the teams, it became an even rougher match. This was highlighted by Augustini who was pushed to the ground a few times by Dylan Nexhip as he charged for the ball. It was also a tough contest for Sarah Sczykulski and Luke Rawlings. Their decision to double team Roberts was an effective short term solution but couldn’t keep Panthers down in the long run.
As the final quarter hit, Panthers had attained a nine goal lead. Geelong were looking fatigued but tried to persevere with position changed. This wasn’t enough in the end when Panthers took a runaway win approach. This final quarter blitz allowed them to extend their winning lead to 16 goals and make it a truly victorious season, undefeated and now premiers.
Grand Final MVP – Brodie Roberts
From the players:
“It’s always a lot of pressure going into a Grand Final undefeated, so it was super great to finish off strong in our successful season.
“We knew they were going to be tough and Geelong proved that in the first half. I think we really pulled it together in the third quarter and then were able to extend. Dylan was amazing tonight and came up with so much ball in the second, perfect timing really.
“Parkville is such a fun side and I think that’s why we are so successful as a team, we just play for and with each other.” – Brodie Roberts, Parkville Panthers
Men’s Division One
In a tight match of turnovers and tumbles, Titans have claimed victory over DDNA Teal to add another premiership to the history books.
The first quarter demonstrated the unwavering determination that both sides have been known for all season. The tone of the match was quickly set as the first quarter progressed with frequent turnovers that showcased the tight defensive play from both teams. DDNA’s defenders were bringing serious pressure with height over the ball and leaps for rebounds. Wing Defender for DDNA, Christopher I’Anson, was persistent and versatile as he switched from attack to defence when needed.
Titan’s Goal Shooter, Andrew Baker, was as sneaky goalers come. Faking his shots and passes confused DDNA’s defenders. However, the end of the quarter saw Titans seem a bit off guard, causing concern to shake.
Straight into the second quarter, Cameron Hughes broke Titan’s centre with a lightning bolt of an intercept. It looked like this is where DDNA may break away. Titans said not today though.
Titans put up a fight early in the third to take their first convincing lead of the match. It may have taken a slow start, but as soon as the men in blue calmed their play and directed the ball instead of rush, there was a clear elevation in their control. Titans took a layup goal right on the siren ending the third to hold the lead.
DDNA looked fatigued in the final quarter, even though it was clear they didn’t want to give up. As Titans continued to outscore DDNA, the end result was set in stone. DDNA ended the match with goal but not the win.
From the players:
“Very happy to get over in the end. Half way through we were trailing but were able to peg it back and finish with a decent lead. Such a credit to all the boys.
“It was really reducing our own forced errors I think that allowed us to get that lead. When we controlled our game we held onto control of the game. DDNA are such a great team and have been a great one to play against all season. They made us worry coming into it because they perform so well.
“We’ve gotten the premiership a couple of times too, so to now go back to back is a new high and hopefully we go three next year.” – Ben Bruitzman, Northern Titans
Mixed Division One
Fitzroy reached new heights when they took out the match against Ariels last night. Not only did they finally have the gold to put around their neck, it was made even sweeter knowing they’d achieved it after going undefeated all season.
Despite the victory, Fitzroy had a rocky start as they rushed passes and allowed Ariels to swoop in for the lead early. Much like the rest of their season, Ariels were speedy and decisive in their change of direction. The pressure was clear to be on their mind though.
Ariels finished the first quarter with a goal by Kurt Thompson to give them a slight lead, 10-11.
Fitzroy shuffled some positions around in the second and third quarters to deliver a much better result. Andrew Lewis in goals was succinct in his feeds to wings. This allowed him to position himself closer to the ring and have greater accuracy to goal. He had a feisty match up against Kirsty Clark from Ariels as she stuck tight. Her sister, Lorna Clark, played well for Ariel’s midcourt to connect the ball when transitioning.
Ariels increased in their pressure in the second half with some terrific intercepts. However, they fell short when converting. Phoenix took the opportunity to turnover ball and secure some needed extra goals.
Jane Scheetz and Shae Gee dominated their play at opposite end of the court in the final quarter. Fitzroy already possessing a six goal lead, Gee and Scheetz played their roles to shine. Their work, as well as the rest of their team, saw Fitzroy shoot goal after goal in the last minutes of the game. The reward of their efforts came in the form of an 11 goal victory and a 2019 premiership to their name.
From the players:
“About time! We’ve lost a few Grand Finals in a row so to finally get the gold is amazing. We definitely panicked a bit but regrouped in the end.
“Our team is versatile and when it doesn’t work we just mix. We have a mix of fun and competitive netball, the perfect combo.” – Colin Croft, Fitzroy Phoenix
