It was a sight to behold on Wednesday evening, as rainbow balloons, flags, bibs, socks, hair pieces, hats and even VNL dresses lined the stadiums to commemorate Pride Round, supported by RACV.
There was plenty happening out on court too, as teams posted dramatic results, including huge blowouts, nail biters and everything in between!
Read on below to get your Pride Round fix.
CHAMPIONSHIP
ARIELS 50 def by HAWKS NETBALL 75
CITY WEST FALCONS 53 def MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 44
NORTH EAST BLAZE 57 def by CASEY DEMONS 70
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 54 def PENINSULA 41
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 40 def by GEELONG COUGARS 55
A flawless four-quarter performance from the Hawks saw the visitors notch a 25-goal win over the Ariels at Maroondah Nets.
Though Ariels captain Rahni Samason held her own in the circle (96% accuracy, 42/44) and midcourters Maddison Wallmeyer and Monique Tarrant toiled all game, the Hawks’ slick ball movement and attacking pressure proved too strong, as Natalie Billings, Tayla Shannon and Daisy Hill combined exceptionally well on the night.
With both sides not having dropped a game this season, the top of the table clash between the City West Falcons and the Melbourne University Lightning (MUL) at the State Netball Centre was an intense one to say the least!
Ultimately however, it was the Falcons who came away with the chocolates, courtesy of some sublime defensive work from Zoe Davies, Melissa Oloamanu, Soli Ropati and Sarah Szczykulski.
Falcons sharpshooter Jane Cook also starred, utilising her strong holds and body position in the circle to mount on the offensive pressure from the get-go.
But all was not lost on the MUL front, as Madeline Stewart’s team buckled down in the latter half to minimise the final margin to nine goals.
Boasting 94% accuracy at the post (59/63) on the night, it was the in-form Casey captain Emma Ryde who led her team to a 13-goal victory over the Blaze.
Though the home side attempted to claw back the margin late in the game, the Demons’ fierce work rate and strong midcourt connection enabled them to control proceedings from the outset.
After seven consecutive losses, Saints players could finally breathe a sigh of relief as they secured their first win of the season over the hapless Waves.
Following a fairly even first half, it was during the third quarter where the Saints found their groove to capture an 11-goal lead, before ultimately extending it to 13.
Though the Waves fought relentlessly at both ends of the court, their efforts were no match for the zippy Saints outfit on this occasion.
Fresh off a win last round, the Cougars looked cool, calm and collected in their clash against the Express.
While scores were tight in the first term, some masterful defensive performances from Geelong’s Brooke Allan and Tori Honner saw the crafty side post a 6-goal lead by halftime, before ultimately storming away with a 15-goal victory, despite Boroondara’s best efforts.
DIVISION ONE
ARIELS 41 def by HAWKS NETBALL 57
CITY WEST FALCONS 63 def MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 48
NORTH EAST BLAZE 57 def CASEY DEMONS 30
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 46 def PENINSULA 43
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 52 def by GEELONG COUGARS 65
An enormous first quarter effort from the Hawks empowered the squad to clinch a 16-goal victory over Ariels.
Despite the first-rate midcourt pressure produced by Ariels trio Chelsea Imanisani, Emma Wallmeyer and Charlotte Davies all game, it was simply a case of shooting volume on this occasion, in which the Hawks reigned supreme with Elle Rice, Monique Lenehan-Moustafa and Sophie O’Shea dominating up front.
From the opening minutes of the skirmish between the Falcons and Lightning, it was clear that the home side had a point to prove.
Brimming with confidence, the Falcons snatched a 9-goal buffer by quarter time, before extending their lead at every break thereafter.
As defender Bess Schnioffsky stated, “For us [at the Falcons], we had a pretty rough start to the season, so to be able to win today was really great.
“It was definitely a tough game… the Lightning are a really strong side, they kept fighting and defensively, they were just a rock at times there and I think they really made it hard for us so I think for us to stand up and to have the game we did was important.
“I think for us it’s just consistency, so even though we’re playing 15 minutes of netball in a quarter, we’re just focusing on 5 minutes at a time, finding what works for us and doing the simple things well.
“We’ve got it all there, it’s just about putting it together now.”
Top-of-the-table and undefeated, North East Blaze continued their winning ways this week, downing the Demons by 27 goals.
The in-form side appeared calm and composed at the helm, as livewires Nakita Singe and Samantha Coppinger shone. For Casey, Kassidy Withers and Elizabeth Walsh brought their A-game in playing out a full game each, though their steely efforts regrettably weren’t enough in the end.
Blaze will now look to make it nine from nine next week, while the Demons will be on the hunt for their third win of the season.
The fiery showdown between the Saints and Waves had onlookers transfixed from the opening whistle.
Although Peninsula had a stronger start, taking a 3-goal lead into the first change, the Saints worked relentlessly in the second quarter to reduce the buffer and seize the lead by halftime.
The final half of play saw scores rapidly fluctuate, as awe-inspiring intercepts, slick ball movement and exciting plays from both sides were on display. Saints midcourters Chloe Radford and Sarah Matthews provided plenty of drive down the court, while Charlotte Howard and Polly Draper stepped up for the Waves.
In the end however, it was the Saints who got the job done in an upset win.
Back at the State Netball Centre, it was the third-placed Cougars who prevailed over the second-placed Express, in what was a high-octane encounter.
On the 13-goal win, Cougars stalwart Georgina Cuthbertson remarked, “Yeah it was a great game, we knew that it was always going to be a tough one against Boroondara – I think we were sitting equal on the ladder in terms of points, so we knew we had to bring our best game.
“It was great to push through for a win at the end but it was really close throughout, so full credit to Boroondara for playing really well throughout the game.
“They [Boroondara] put on a really good press and that rattled us for a little bit, but we went back to basics and worked through the press by trying not to throw the ball away and using short and sharp passes, so I think that worked really well and we just cut out some of those errors to catch up to them.
“Our defenders did really well, putting on lots of pressure and also putting on their own press which turned over a bit of ball for us too.
“Actually, our whole team had a really good game, I think in particular Zara [Walters] has been having such a strong season, it’s unfortunate that she can’t go down to Nationals, so I think tonight was a really good hit-out for her… she played out of her skin.
“Leish [McDonald] shot really strong too, it was tough in there for her against their goal keeper.
“On the whole, it was good to just put on a good match in honour of Pride Round tonight.”
19&U
ARIELS 47 def by HAWKS NETBALL 53
CITY WEST FALCONS 56 def MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 41
NORTH EAST BLAZE 58 def CASEY DEMONS 39
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 51 def by PENINSULA 53
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 43 def by GEELONG COUGARS 48
After suffering their first loss of the season last round, the top-of-the-table Hawks returned to the winners’ list this week, taking out a tough 6-goal win over the fourth-placed Ariels.
While Ariels managed to keep step with the Hawks early on, with scores level at halftime (26-26), it was the brown and gold who ultimately rose to the occasion, notching a 3-goal lead by the end of the third quarter, before running away with the victory in the fourth.
At the State Netball Centre, a dominant second quarter effort saw the sixth-placed Falcons reign supreme over the third-placed MUL.
Despite the 15-goal loss, MUL goaler Claire Oakley remained upbeat about her side’s performance.
“We were super pumped in the lead-up to today’s game, obviously the Falcons are a very good side so we wanted to come out strong, which I thought we did,” Oakley said.
“We played a great first half, we were confident in giving our balls and everyone played really well as a unit. We also adapted well to some changes that were made.
“For us, Tepaea [Hobson] came on after an ACL injury and played absolutely amazing, so I’m really proud of her and all the girls.
“Unfortunately we did not get the win, but I feel like next time when we’re back out there, we’re going to get that win again.
“Either way, it just feels really nice to be wearing the colours for Pride Round and seeing our supporters dress up. It’s a really big deal and I feel like MUL has represented that really well and we’re going to keep doing that every year.”
A strong start wasn’t enough for the luckless Demons, as they fell to a 19-goal loss against Blaze.
Though Casey captain Chantelle Dale dug deep early, Blaze goalers Ruby Shannon, Kaylah Loulanting and Alisha West were simply too good, scoring at a combined 81% on the night to cement the victory.
An enthralling encounter saw Peninsula seize an impressive come-from-behind victory, in pipping the gallant Saints by a mere two goals.
While Peninsula trailed for much of the match, some fourth-quarter magic from Abby Williams and Olivia Wilkinson enabled the visitors to nab the lead just before the final whistle.
And lastly, the Cougars managed to hang on in the final term to register a 5-goal win over the Express, in what "felt like a grand final" according to Geelong defender Ella Rees.
"It was crazy in that last quarter, the crowd was going and everyone was getting around it... thankfully, we held our nerve, which was good considering we're a relatively young team and got the win out of it, so it was great."
Teammate Eliza Cahill agreed with Rees' sentiments, adding "I think the noise and everything just helped us get over the line!
"Going into the game, we weren't quite sure what to expect. We were coming off a win last week so we had the momentum with us I suppose. Even though we had a few outs tonight, I thought we started off really well, but they kept coming back at us, so we went back to basics, slowed it down and thankfully held on.
"We're lucky to have a versatile team, so if someone's not feeling it, Damo [Stephenson] can just chuck someone else on and they can pick up from where the other player left off. I think that definitely helped tonight."
