Melbourne City Blackhawks and Geelong Cougars took home some impressive victories across their Premiership sides, Blackhawks Men’s pulling out a mammoth 41 goal win over Pasifika Sharks.
Across the court at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, three outcomes resulted a four-way points tie on the Men’s Division One ladder in the race for first place.
Men’s Premier
With both sides undefeated thus far in the season, this week’s match would determine first and second on the Men’s Premier ladder. If spectators had to choose a match to watch last night, it would have had to be this one!
Geelong were fast and furious down the court with some big bombs from their goalers once again. Down the other end of the court for St Therese, their goalers manoeuvred themselves distinctly on the baseline which allowed their wings to feed in with forceful passes. One ability mirrored by both teams was the ability to get around the ball in defence and remain in close contact with the opposition.
The first half of the match went in favour of St Therese who came out strong in the first quarter with 13 goals. Geelong’s intensity powered through in the third quarter where they took their largest lead for the first time in the match, up by four goals. Both teams had their fair share of opportunities and power plays in the final quarter, but Cougars were looking more dangerous in their transitions which left St Therese chasing them.
This four goal win for Cougars see them become the only side in Men’s Premier to remain undefeated.
In a match between the bottom two on the Men’s Premier ladder, both Ariels and Seahawks were on the hunt for their first win of 2019.
Seahawks pounced from the first quarter to secure a six goal lead at the end of the first break. Seahawks continued this control of the momentum throughout the match with rapid feeding between goalers and fast footwork in defence to get around Ariels attack. A consistent second half for Seahawks gave them the drives and dodges needed in the midcourt to manoeuvre the ball down with speed. Work of the midcourters paid off with some sensational passed executed.
Ariels will look to find their first win of the season next week as they come up against DDNA who sit one position in front of them on the ladder.
Despite a close first half with power surges from DDNA, they fell short against Sirens netball who won this week to claim their third consecutive win and third spot on the ladder.
DDNA started with ferocity to intercept Siren’s first centre pass and convert in cleanly down the court. Their powerful passes from David Priddle and Jason Heard down the midcourt and into goals kept Sirens in DDNA’s sights entering the second half.
Despite a clear and heightened team dynamic from DDNA, Sirens loud calls down the court and movements towards and around the ball kept them in charge for the majority of the match. Despite a final quarter surge from DDNA, sirens usage of space when passing and calling for the ball was impressive and their goalers precision saw them take away a six goal win.
What was thought to be a close match between Sharks and Blackhawks was quickly realised to be a blowout by Blackhawks with Sharks taking a 41 goal thrashing by them.
Blackhawks took an impressive start with speed around the goal circle and strategic movement in defence which allowed them to intercept Sharks’ attempts at long passes. With Blackhawks more than doubling Sharks’ eight goals at the end of the first break, this pattern continued for a full 60 minutes and allowed Blackhawks to experience their largest win of the season.
Despite the loss, Sharks quick feet and variety of passes into goals demonstrated their skill we can look to forward to seeing improved upon during the season.
With this win on their belt, Blackhawks will take on Sirens netball next week to keep their position in the top four on the competition ladder.
Mixed Premier
Cougars took their second win of the night with the Mixed Premier team, executing an impressive display of teamwork against DDNA.
Geelong’s midcourt was on point and in sync Vanessa Augustini and Mia Doherty acting and precision feeders into Brayden Pastore and Julia Wooley. Strong pressure down the midcourt and consistency to capitalise on turnovers, Cougars took control early in the match to lead for a full 60 minutes and unfortunately for DDNA their intensity couldn’t keep up.
Vipers were so close this week to seeing their first win of 2019, however Blackhawks were running on a high from their previous match and snuck in at the last minute to win by two goals.
With VNL superstar Libby Nicol in goals and Molly Stranger fast on her feet in Wing Attack to feed in, Blackhawks’ attack end was exciting to watch. Their variety of position changes in the midcourt highlighted some impressive combinations and versatility in their players, allowing them to remain in control for most of the match.
Despite Vipers constant movement in goals to reposition, which seemed to tire Blackhawks’ defenders, they couldn’t bring enough to overcome the strength of their opposition.
Parkville Panthers took out another decisive win this week to ensure security of their first place position and their fourth consecutive win of 2019.
Leading by 24 goals at half time, Panthers’ advantage only extended in the second half, seeing them come out on top with a dominant 33 goal win. Brodie Roberts and Uneeq Palavi in Panthers’ goal circle proved lethal as they moved with decisiveness and shot with precision.
Eastside Sonics stepped onto the court at the State Netball Centre with a clear sense of determination to see a win this week. Unfortunately for them, St Thersse also had victory in their pursuits and were not backing down.
With scores level at the end of the first quarter, 10 all, Sonics pushed out their lead in the second and third quarter to seemingly take control and play their style of netball. Despite St Therese’s persistence to drive to the ball, Sonics continued their efforts into the final quarter to walk away with a comfortable win.
Men’s Division One
In their first loss in the 2019 season, Bucks lost their first place dominance in a hard fought match against 2019 Premiers Northern Titans.
Despite trailing by one goal at the end of the first quarter, Titans pushed their way through to step up in the second and third quarter and shoot a combined 34 goals to Bucks’ 15. Bucks kicked in to overdrive in the final quarter to score 19 goals and bring scores closer, however it was too late and Titans walked away with not only a win but a message for competitors that they have what it takes to go back-to-back.
In a battle between DDNA, it was the Teal team who secured their third win of the season and snuck into fourth spot on the ladder.
DDNA Teal looked to be in control for the majority of the match, winning three out of the four quarters. DDNA Red picked up the pace in the third quarter to bring scores closer, only one goal the difference. A back and fourth final quarter for both DDNA sides left the winner undecided until the final minutes of the match where Teal drove hard and fast to the ball, performing well under pressure to take home the four goal win.
Inconsistency proved fatal for St Therese this week as an unsteady match from them led to their downfall against a consistent and controlled Melbourne City Combat.
With a 10 goal lead at half time, Combat directed the match with dominance. Although St Therese made changes across positions to combat the Combat, it didn’t seem to help them attain the amount of goals they needed.
What Combat did well last night was capitalise on turnovers of the ball and St Therese’s missed goals. Strength in their attack end demonstrated a flow in the movement of passes and rewarding goals from shooters who did their job to execute shots.
Despite starting strong in the season, St Therese have now lost two consecutive matches by heavy margins while Melbourne City Combat look fiercely determined to continue their winning streaks.
Mixed Division One
Seeking their third consecutive win, DDNA established their dominance against Ariels from the get-go which paid off in the form of a sizeable 24 goal victory.
DDNA shot up a storm as they achieved Ariels final score of 31 goals by the end of the second half, allowing them to further capitalise from plays and shoot a further 24 goals in the second half.
In a tough match between two sides as strong as each other, Eagles and Bullets fought until the very last minute for success.
Eagles came out strong in the first quarter to steal a five goal lead. Bullets weren’t ones to be kept quiet and with persistent pressure forced enough turnover conversions to level the scores at half time, 24 all.
Nothing could separate these two teams in the third quarter. When Eagles increased their intensity, Bullets would match it and more. When Bullets executed an impressive play, Eagles did the same with show-stopping movements. What ultimately split the two were some final quarter missed opportunities from Bullets which allowed Eagles to take a lead large enough to win.
This weeks win for Melbourne Bucks saw them work their way into the top 4. Ariels kept Bucks in their sights for the first half of the match, however let Bucks runaway with a 20 goal win in the final half.
Ryan Clements and Lauren Spinks paired well in their goal end to secure goals with accuracy. Bucks’ transitions down the midcourt were manoeuvred well as they pounced and drove towards the ball with ferocity.
Hoping to see their first win of the season last night was DDNA Pink. Unfortunately their hopes were crumbled by St Therese who’s determination kept them in the lead for the entirety of the match.
Despite DDNA’s transitions being their obvious strength, their execution in goals left them trailing to St Therese who were ultimately the more accurate goalers. St Therese’s ability in the midcourt to readjust and reoffer allowed them to capitalise on turnovers and not throw the ball away.
Make sure to keep up with next weeks matches and check out the 2019 MLeague fixtures!
