Heading into the second half of the VNL season, the race for a spot at the top of the table is well and truly on! Round 10 will see a flurry of top four clashes as several sides look to climb the ladder.
FIXTURE
Wednesday 24 May – State Netball Centre
- Boroondara Express vs Peninsula Waves (Livestream – Kommunity TV)
- City West Falcons vs Geelong Cougars
- Ariels vs Wilson Storage Southern Saints (Livestream – Netball Victoria Facebook Page)
- North East Blaze vs Casey Demons Melbourne University Lightning vs Hawks Netball
BROADCAST GUIDE
Netball Victoria Facebook
Ariels vs Wilson Storage Southern Saints
7pm – Championship| 8.20pm – 19&U | 9.40pm – Division 1
KommunityTV
Boroondara Express vs Peninsula Waves
7pm – 19&U| 8.20pm – Division 1 | 9.40pm – Championship
ONES TO WATCH
Championship
Round 10 will see a top four clash between City West Falcons and Geelong Cougars. The Falcons sit on top of the Championship ladder, while Cougars are hot on their heels in third. With both teams on winning streaks and only percentage separating them, it promises to be a fiery matchup highlighted by a clash between Jane Cook and Brooke Allen in the circle. Second-placed Boroondara Express will be looking to make it five in a row when they take on Peninsula Waves. Isabelle Hodgson was outstanding last week for Boroondara, scoring an unbelievable 52 goals. She could prove to be a handful for the Waves’ defence.
Division 1
Geelong Cougars will be hoping to bounce back from their first loss of 2023, but the third-placed Falcons stand in their way. The Falcons come off five consecutive victories, while the Cougars have been hard to fault until last week. Charli Nicol, who has been a pillar in the Falcons’ defence, will have her hands full trying to stop an in-form Georgina Cuthbertson under the post. The division will see another top four clash between Lightning, who enjoyed a big win in Round 9, and Hawks Netball, who ended Geelong’s undefeated run. Hawks defender Chloe Duke was outstanding last week and will need to replicate that performance against Lightning sharpshooter Claire Oakley.
19/Under
Hawks Netball and Melbourne University Lightning will face off in yet another top four clash this round. While the Hawks haven’t lost since Round 4, they face tough competition in the Lightning who emerged victorious the last time these two sides met. Expect to see a midcourt battle between Hawks’ Sienna Green and Lightning’s Madison Brown who have both been polling well in the MVP votes. In-form North East Blaze will be looking to continue their run with a win against the Demons, while the Waves are chasing consecutive victories when they play Boroondara Express. In another matchup, both the Saints and Ariels will be hoping to rejoin the winners list when they face off this week.
