The Victorian Fury have won their seventh Australian Netball League (ANL) premiership, defeating the Netball New South Wales Waratahs 53-46 in the ANL 2016 Grand Final at Netball Central, Sydney.
It was an enthralling contest with both sides coming out firing – the Fury eager to notch up their fourth-consecutive title and the NNSW Waratahs wanting to secure a win in front of their home crowd.
The Fury were led from the front by 199cm Goal Shooter Jane Cook who had a sensational game and started strongly. Despite slick passages of play between Cook and dynamic Wing Attack Ella Bayliss, the Fury went into the first break trailing 11-12.
Fury Coach Cathy Fellows shook things up in the second stanza, injecting Tayla Honey into the match for Lara Dunkley in Centre, and Samantha Gooden taking over the Goal Attack position from Mikaela Vaughan.
Brilliant touches and key intercepts from circle defenders Shannon Eagland and Fiona Themann helped the Fury lift and set them up with a 27-20 lead at the main break.
Fury’s momentum continued to build in the third and fourth quarters, the Victorian outfit stepping the tempo up another notch in the final minutes to put the result beyond doubt and claim the 2016 ANL title.
“I’m just wrapped,” said Fellows after the historic win. “We built over the whole tournament and while we struggled a little bit at the start, to the girls’ credit they took on everything and built.
“I thought Jane [Cook] stood up really well today under a lot of physical pressure and I was really impressed with our defence end, and thought our full-court defence was fantastic.”
Fury Captain and Goal Keeper Fiona Themann played a pivotal role in the victory and said it was a tough Grand Final encounter against the experienced NNSW Waratahs.
“Both teams really came out firing, and it was a bit of pressure going in,” Themann conceded. “Just full credit to the [Fury] girls, it was a really tough game out there today. We’re absolutely pumped with the win.”
The win continues the Victorian Fury’s dominance in the ANL competition, with premierships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Shooting Statistics
Victorian Fury
Jane Cook 46/52 (88%)
Mikaela Vaughan 4/5 (80%)
Samantha Gooden 3/10 (30%)
NNSW Waratahs
Georgia Marshall 22/28 (79%)
Vanessa Mullampy 8/12 (67%)
Kiera Austin 5/6 (83%)
Victorian Fury v NNSW Waratahs
Sunday 26 June 2016, Netball Central, Sydney
Started
Jane Cook (GS)
Mikaela Vaughan (GA)
Ella Bayliss (WA)
Lara Dunkley (C)
Elle Bennetts (WD)
Shannon Eagland (GD)
Fiona Themann (GK) (Captain)
Substitute
Tayla Honey
Samantha Gooden
Did Not Play
Maddy Balson
Kate Eddy
Kate Thomson
ANL Final Series Results
Saturday 25 June (semi-finals)
Victorian Fury 56 def. Western Sting 47
NNSW Waratahs 58 def. Southern Force 56
Sunday 26 June (Grand Final and Bronze Medal playoff)
Victorian Fury 53 def. NNSW Waratahs 46
Western Sting 68 def. Southern Force 60
ANL Tournament MVP
Vanessa Mullampy, NNSW Waratahs