The National Netball Championship action has only intensified over the past couple of days with Victoria solidifying their position on the ladder in both the 17/Under and 19/Under divisions.
17/Under - Victoria (40) defeated Queensland (23).
The 17’s kicked off Victoria’s proceedings on Day 3 of the National Championships with a (40-23) win over Queensland. It was an even start from both teams before Victoria pulled away to a seven goal margin going into half time.
The combination of Lily Graham and Emma Winfield proved to be dangerous for the Queensland defenders. Victoria was strong on the second phase for most of the match with Charlotte Morey and Millie Hogg feeding the ball nicely into the shooters. Down the other end of the court, Eliza Molino was strong in goal keeper, winning plenty of the ball back for her side.
17/Under- Victoria (40) defeated by New South Wales (20)
It was a disappointing start to Victoria's Day 4 campaign with a twenty goal loss to New South Wales in the top of the ladder clash. It was a tight start to the match with both teams tied at nine goals a piece at quarter time, with Victoria leading by three goals at one point in the first quarter.
Then it was all New South Wales with a goalless third quarter for Victoria that set the foundation for a big win for New South Wales, with Winfield getting Victoria’s first goal of the second half early on in the final quarter. Tara Watson put in the hard yards through the centre while Morey was strong in the final quarter using her speed to dart across the court.
19/Under- Victoria (45) defeated Western Australia (26)
It was a dominant display from the 19/Under side in their match against Western Australia with a 19 (45-26) goal win. It was a hotly contested opening to the game with both teams neck and neck for most of the first quarter before Victoria were able to pull away with a five goal lead going into the first quarter. Victoria made it hard for Western Australia to get to circle edge without defenders swooping and picking up ball.
Sussu Liai was a stand out in wing defence, really applying that pressure especially on the circle edge not making it easy for WA to get easy access to the circle. The defensive combination of Melissa Oloamanu and Charli Nicol was making it hard for the Western Australian shooters to find an easy avenue to the post.
19/Under - Victoria (35) defeated by New South Wales (39)
It was a tussle between Victoria and New South Wales, with Victoria falling short by four (35-39) goals. In the second quarter Victoria was able to hold a comeback bringing the margin back down to two at half time after trailing by as much as six during the second quarter. A few wayward passes and turnovers in the attacking third allowed New South Wales to really capitalise
The combination of Emily Andrew and Olivia Wilkinson grew in strength once again, especially in the second quarter with Andrew coming out of the goal circle to open up Wilkinson at the post. Zara Walters was once again strong with the Victorian captain creating and dictating the play for her side to win the ball back.
