Heading into the final countdown of MLeague, sides from every division knew what was on the line. In a night of surprise conquests and landslide margins, ladders had a real shake up and frontrunners’ reputations came into question.
Ariels’ Men’s Premier team executed their first win-worthy match of the season to take down DDNA. Across the court, the formidable Geelong Cougars experienced an unexpected upset against Southern Seahawks who brought their A-game!
Parkville Panthers also hit a mega margin to achieve the largest winning score of the season with 98 goals!
Make sure to keep up to date with all the MLeague happenings. After all, there’s only two more chances for some teams to earn a spot in the 2019 finals series!
Men’s Premier
Seahawks were holding onto their finals chance for dear life this week, coming against the division leaders. Sitting sixth on the ladder, Seahawks needed this week’s win and the next two for a remote possibility to play beyond the rounds.
Geelong pounced to take the first four goals of the match in an attempt to set the tone of the contest. Intense and on the move with rapid passing in the midcourt, Geelong looked switched on in the first quarter. Brayden Pastore picked up some notable deflections in Goal Attack switching to defend the ball when needed.
Jake Dambrauskas and Josh Burns provided a wealth of support in Geelong’s defensive end. They put the pressure on Seahawks’ goalers with power behind their jumps and strategy in their tight on-body defence. However, as Geelong began to trail off at the end of the first quarter, Seahawks raised their intensity to shake up the rhythm of the match.
Hadley Dixon directed the play of the ball with determination, allowing for Seahawks to transition the ball cleanly and position themselves optimally across the court. Tim Malmo and Sam Mackerras were a powerhouse of pressure to force turnovers down Geelong’s goal end. James Robertson connected the ball between thirds to deliver it straight into the goalers.
Geelong were left playing catch up for the match and looking less polished than their opposition. Despite an impressive comeback attempt, Seahawks rose to the occasion to take down the Men’s Premier frontrunners.
Blackhawks and Sirens had plenty to play for this week, Sirens one game behind first place and Blackhawks sitting just outside the ladder. However, Sirens seemed to possess a stronger desire to win as they took a first quarter lead that would inevitably attain them the win.
Sirens came out to a flying start, shooting 20 goals in the first quarter. They were able to maintain a consistent pace and intensity over the entirety of the match. Their midcourt movements seemed to hold the team together and keep a stable pace across 60 minutes of play.
Blackhawks goaler Daniel Cooke whipped out some deceptive fake passes which confused Sirens’ defenders. Simon Cartwright and Tim Marshall worked succinctly.
With strong combinations in each third and a known team connection, it seems Sirens have caught up to Cougars, each sitting with 40 points on the ladder in first place.
Although neither of these sides can make it into finals, it didn’t stop them from having a red hot match to entice spectators.
It was a battle of the Centres during this match, Alec Deasey and James Hertan directing the play with pace and switching between attack and defence to add pressure between ends. Ariels possessed a certain ferocity unlike any other match seen during the season. Michael Dower was a speed machine and goals, and his counterpart Kurt Thompson looked confident in his movements to shoot. David Priddle kept up the intensity for DDNA’s defence Bryce Rowley assisting through the midcourt.
Having a slight lead on DDNA going into the final quarter, Ariels switched gears and played for themselves. What gave Ariels the opportunity to win in the end was their ability to play a consistent four quarters, playing to each team mates strengths. Their faces after the match showed the pure accomplishment and relief of winning at least one match in 2019.
Both St Therese and Pasifika Sharks had a wealth of firepower across the court last night, resulting in a match of turnovers. The two sides who have been know to struggle to maintain intensity for a full four quarters. This spell was broken as they faced each.
The stakes were high as anything which led to neck-and-neck scores for the first three quarters. Sharks had the power combination of Junior Levi and Poni Smith at opposite ends while Riley Richardson and Guy Keane tore it up through the centre. 16-year-old Tristan Comans from St Therese had his work cut out for him, coming against the likes of Cameron Powell. Comans stepped up to the plate, however, in acts of strategy and flare displayed in the midcourt.
The defensive pressure from St Therese just couldn’t be beat this week and forced Pasifika to turnover the ball more than desired in the final quarter. Converting these turnovers into 23 goals in the final quarter, St Therese secured a satisfying win to sit themselves prime position for the final two weeks.
Mixed Premier
Panthers made 2019 MLeague history last night when shoot an unbelievable 98 goals, just two goals shy of triple digits! Taking a 16 goal lead in the first quarter, Panther’s’ intensity continued to grow over the course of the match, increasing their lead quarter by quarter and shooting nothing less than 21 goals a quarter.
Georgette Patsch and Corey Nexhip worked as power duo in Panther’s defence to swing on to each other’s players and catch Vipers off guard, resulting in some striking intercepts. Elle McDonald and Casey Adamson made for another impressive pair, their midcourt dynamics allowing the ball to fly down the court with ease.
Panthers never once held back the true force they bring to netball and continued their efforts to finish with a 32 goal quarter, executing technical plays in their goal third to shake things up. Ultimately, panthers held control of the match from the get-go and will be tough to beat in the fight to gold.
This was the match that would split Sharks and Wolves. One game the difference between third and second, this match was crucial for finals positioning and had the ability to influence finals match ups.
Sharks came out with passion and determination to take a six goal lead against Wolves. Both sides played a steady and controlled match for the majority, but made simple errors that showed the difference in play compared with the counterparts in first and second. By the time the final whistle was blown, Sharks were three goals ahead and in third place on the competition ladder.
Sharks’ tight defence and pressure over the ball gave them multiple opportunities to disrupt Wolves’ play. Sharks forced Wolves to pass out of the circle and readjust to shoot. Likewise, Carter and Tyrah looked for gaps to fill as they defended Wolves’ transition. This force Wolves to make big passes that presented opportunities to be intercepted by Sharks.
Only three goals splitting the two at half time, strong pressure down the midcourt and taking possession of loose balls allowed DDNA to capitalise and mature their lead in the second half.
Talia Malthouse and Sam Mackerras moved succinctly in the first half to hold up St Therese in their goal end, disrupting their play to force turnovers. DDNA drove hard for every ball and made use of each pass to feed into the circle strategically.
St Therese’s combinations have improved measurably over the season, and their first half demonstrated this particularly. Prue Stanley for St Therese worked hard down the court; dodging, driving and providing plenty of goal assists to Claire Oakley. They swung the ball on the circle edge well but ultimately struggled to finish off their goals, allowing DDNA to rebound, transition and convert.
DDNA still sit with a chance for finals.
Cougars played a strong four quarters to lead the entire match and take it home with a runaway final quarter.
Vanessa Augustini in the midcourt and Sarah Szcykulski were instrumental to their teams’ win. Vanessa directed the play of the ball with confidence and Sarah was ready to pounce at any chance for an intercept, taking several notable ones in the match.
Blackhawks had moments as a team, Daniel Cooke and Bess Scchnosky putting pressure on Cougars’ passes into goals to limit options. It was Cougars teamwork and strength in every third that saw them take out a sizable victory to make it their tenth for the season. Cougars will definitely be in finals this season as they look to overtake Panthers in a finals shake up we can’t wait to see.
Men’s Division One
DDNA pulled through when they needed to this week, their win allowing them to enter the top four with finals looming.
Storm picked up their pace in the second half, but DDNA’s control of the match could not be disrupted.
From the very first centre pass, it was clear the Titans had nothing but victory on their mind today.
Strong transition work between thirds allowed Titans to take a comfortable 21 point lead going into the last quarter. Although St Therese achieved some much-needed turnovers in the final minutes of the match, Titans were too strong to be beat.
Another win for DDNA Teal sees them equal points with DDNA Red counterparts on the ladder.
DDNA’s midcourt movements seemed to hold the team together and keep them stable when the pace began to rush. With strong combinations in sync in each third, it seems they are on track to be key contenders in the finals.
Mixed Division One
A steady lead throughout the entire match, Phoenix delivered an outstanding performance to walk away with a sizable win, to say the least.
Persistent in their pressure over the ball and confident in their passes, Phoenix took an eight goal lead in the first quarter that only extended over the course of the match to remain undefeated and our hot shots for the premiership.
FORFEIT
Ariels’ dominance continued through the night with their senior Mixed side taking out a mammoth 55 goal victory.
Last time these teams met LTU walked over Ariels in a match of ferocity. This week it was Ariels who did the walking, or running for that matter. Ariels were a force to reckoned with and did not stop moving once! They were dodging, driving and a unique combination of strategy and flare. They outscored Eagles by 10 goals in the first quarter and then went on to to shoot nearly 50 goals in the second half.
After a quiet mid season, Bucks have continued their impressive form to record their third consecutive win and secure second place on the ladder.
Bucks were all over the Ariels with team cohesion and patience. Bucks broke away in the second half finishing with a double digit defeat over Ariels. They look strong heading into finals.
Make sure to keep up with next weeks matches and check out the 2019 MLeague fixtures!
