In a round where some evenly matched teams were playing each other, the second quarter determined the fate of the game where teams either settled or fell apart.
19/Under
City West Falcons (47) defeated by Hawks Netball (61)
Wilson Storage Southern Saints (67) defeated Casey Demons (44)
Melbourne University Lightning (53) defeated Boroondara Express (39)
North East Blaze (54) defeated Geelong Cougars (41)
For the North East Blaze and Geelong Cougars, it was a game where players shined with their execution and accuracy. Out the blocks early, Blaze played some cool, calm and collected netball and impressed onlookers with their ability to systematically break down the Cougars' defence.
One of the standout matchups of the game was between Victorian teammates Tara Watson and Charlotte Morey, where it was a battle of speed and game smarts. When playing against each other, Watson took some amazing intercepts to help establish Blaze’s 11 goal lead. However, Morey shifted gears in the third quarter and looked to have lots of freedom to move down the court and find Isabella Grapsas easily.
Despite the Cougars impressive third quarter efforts to claw back a 15-goal deficit to just four, the Blaze ran away with it in the fourth to finish with a 13 goal win.
Division 1
City West Falcons (61) defeated Hawks Netball (47)
Wilson Storage Southern Saints (43) defeated by Casey Demons (50)
Melbourne University Lightning (45) defeated by Boroondara Express 63
North East Blaze (56) defeated Geelong Cougars (43)
The Wilson Storage Southern Saints had every advantage playing at home in Oakleigh against cross-town rivals Casey Demons. However, after a slow start from the Demons, they settled in the second quarter and took the reins of the game to pull off a seven goal win.
It was a full court effort from Casey and a masterclass in zone defence, with both the midcourt and defence creating turnovers through some impressive linework. Demons also perfected a circle split, allowing them to apply body on pressure to incoming shooters and create further upsets with quick deflections and an easy read on the ball. With the likes of Taylah Butterworth and Liz Walsh in the side, any little touch or deflection from the team was quickly transitioned down the court into the safe hands of their goalers.
Championship Division
City West Falcons (59) defeated Hawks Netball (54)
Wilson Storage Southern Saints (67) defeated Casey Demons (62)
Melbourne University Lightning (58) defeated Boroondara Express (50)
North East Blaze (44) defeated by Geelong Cougars (61)
There were milestones across the league in the Championship division, with North East Blaze’s Tayissa Coppinger reaching an impressive 200 games and Tayla Shannon from Hawks Netball achieving 150 games.
For the City West Falcons, it was more of a coming home milestone as former player and current Collingwood Super Netball player Jacqui Newton made a special appearance in their Championship team. Her defensive prowess was on show as she put a halt to the Hawks’ recent run of wins after a rocky start to the season as Newton dominated the top of the circle and didn't let the goalers settle. Down the other end of the court, Falcons found tall holding shooter, Jane Cook, with ease leading to a five-goal victory.
