CHAMPIONSHIP
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 69 def WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 56
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 58 def CASEY DEMONS 54
A phenomenal shooting performance from Boroondara’s Uneeq Palavi (96% accuracy, 61/64) helped secure her side’s first win of the season in style, defeating the Saints by 13 goals in the Championship division.
Though Saints shooters Sinead Lumsden (86%, 30/35) and Ella Quinlan (96%, 23/24) combined well, Boroondara’s relentless defensive pressure, courtesy of Sophie Shoebridge and Michelle Massarany, significantly limited their scoring opportunities.
Nevertheless, the Saints remained determined, narrowing the margin to 1-goal at half time (30-29), before Boroondara stormed away in the final half to attain the victory.
As Boroondara’s Casey Adamson noted, “In previous weeks, our key word has been ‘consistency’, especially over the four quarters, so I think throughout the whole game tonight, it was in the back of our mind to just keep going every quarter.
“We started off the game really strong, but Saints really brought it to us so at half time it was quite even.
“After that though, our focus was that consistency and we were actively thinking about doing better, which helped us get a 9-goal lead in the third quarter.
“Overall, I think it was a really well-deserved win for us because after a couple of weeks of not getting any wins on the board, it gives us confidence for the next few games.”
Adamson was also quick to point out how impressed she is with teammate Palavi’s season thus far.
“It was a full-court effort, but when you’ve got the likes of Uneeq [Palavi] down in goal shooter who is such a strong option, and then obviously our midcourters out the front that are just working so hard to free her up… she’s just awesome.
“Sometimes you can just throw a ball and she gets it and you don’t even know how! She’s such a strong target for us and such a great person as well, so it’s a testament to who she is.”
With both sides coming into the game undefeated, the top-of-the-table clash between MUL and Casey Demons had audiences enthralled from the onset.
Though MUL started strong, snatching a 5-goal lead by quarter time, Casey fought back hard to tie scores up at 42-apiece in the third term.
According to MUL midcourter Zoe Cransberg, her side were expecting the fierce battle, given the strength of Casey’s squad.
“It was such an intense, close game the whole way… defensively, both teams were on the body the whole time, it was really tough grind.
“Casey kept coming and coming, they’ve got such a strong target down the end in Emma [Ryde], their defence had hands everywhere and their midcourt was so strong… everywhere was strong really.”
While Ryde shot at 92% (45/49) across all four quarters and received first-rate support from zippy teammate Sacha McDonald, some gutsy midcourt work from MUL helped overpower the Demons in the end.
“The game could’ve gone either way but I’m so glad we got the win – both teams played so well, it was such a good quality game out there,” Cransberg said.
“The way we kept going [in the last quarter] was really good… we’ve got lots of depth in our team so anyone who comes on just plays their role, which keeps things consistent.
“There was heaps of talk from the bench too and the energy out on court just motivated us to keep going… it was a team performance.”
MUL will now look to make it five from five in their match against Peninsula at MSAC next week, while Casey will face Ariels at the State Netball Centre.
Get 20% off tickets for the Vixens vs Giants game next week by booking as a group (8+ people)! Tickets from $11.
DIVISION ONE
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 59 def WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 44
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 46 def CASEY DEMONS 37
A steady match from Boroondara has allowed them to continue their winning streak, downing the Saints by 15 goals in the end.
After pinching the lead early and then extending the margin at every break thereafter, the composed Boroondara outfit looked to be in fine form, utilising a full court defence and transitioning smoothly between thirds.
While Saints remained competitive on court, with defensive duo Georgie Whittle and Sasha Witts working tirelessly in defence, their efforts weren’t reflected on the scoreboard.
As Boroondara’s Chelsea Sartori commented, “I don’t think the final score actually reflected how tough Saints were tonight… they were really good in the air, their arms over were great and they definitely contested that first ball, so we had to make sure that we really took that extra step.
“They were definitely a lot different, they played a lot different to what we have played in the last couple of rounds and they really gave it to us. Credit to them, they’re a good, young, up-and-coming team.
“For us, we were just sticking to having a good start and just playing more of a controlled game, especially in our attack end.
“We had a few out tonight, so we had a few new combinations going out there, but I think when we started playing a bit more controlled and used the ball speed a bit more, it worked for us.”
With three wins in the bag for her Boroondara side now, Sartori is looking forward to capitalising on the group’s momentum in the lead-up to finals.
“As a group, we’ll just keep going and hopefully keep winning the first half of the season to set us up for finals.
“We really want to go one better than what we did in 2019 [after losing in the 2019 Prelims].
“I guess we’ve still got that fire in our belly, so fingers crossed we can go one better!”
With only 9 goals the difference in the end, MUL were delighted to come out with a win over the Demons, following a consistent performance from the side.
“It was a good four quarter effort,” MUL’s Georgie Rodger stated, “we’ve been really working on putting it out there for four full quarters.
“Over the past couple of games, we’ve had a strong first half but then we’ve been run over in that third quarter due to lapses in concentration.
“Last week, Blaze really punished us in that respect, so it was a focus going into training this week. It was nice to be able to maintain that concentration and stability.
Forced to play catch-up after an unsettled first half, the Demons persevered, attempting to acquire their first win of the season. However, uncharacteristic shooting inaccuracies during key moments proved costly.
Conversely, MUL’s young outfit remained poised.
“Our main takeaway from last week was that composure, making sure that when things went wrong we didn’t panic and being patient in bringing the ball down the court,” Rodger continued.
“We’re a really young group, we all came together at the start of last year and obviously that didn’t go to plan due to the pandemic, so we haven’t had a lot of time together on court and we’re still taking time to gel… but it’s slowly starting to come together now.
“It’s just great to come away with the win.”
Get 20% off tickets for the Vixens vs Giants game next week by booking as a group (8+ people)! Tickets from $11.
19&U
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 54 def WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 49
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 51 def CASEY DEMONS 47
Coming off a tough 2-goal upset in Round 3, Saints were eager to redeem themselves this week, as Boroondara sought to safeguard their winning streak.
But a strong first quarter, excellent strategic play and intense defensive pressure ultimately saw the Express come out on top.
“We started off really well,” Boroondara’s Tiahnee Farrell remarked, “it was pretty close in the first half so we were only up by 2 at half time. Then, in the third quarter, we pushed it out to about 7 points.
“In that last quarter though, they came right back at us and they got within 2 points close to the end of the quarter, but we were able to push it back out again.
“Saints were really strong, their attacking end had a lot of diversity – they had a lot of players come off and on the court and they had a lot of depth in their team.
“Their defenders were really strong too, they contested a lot of first ball pressure so that really put the pressure on us to get it through.
“Their zone coming down the court was pretty strong, so we had to work really well to get through that as well.”
When reflecting upon her own team’s performance, two teammates stood out to Farrell in particular.
“Our goal shooter, Rose [Laidlaw] played an amazing game, she was shooting at 100% until three quarter time, so that was awesome to see.
“One of our young guns, Bree [Lane] played really well in goal defence too and really stepped up in the last quarter… she got a lot of ball for us to convert down the other end.
“Looking forward, we’re definitely looking to build on our team pressure now and keep the hype up.
“Consistency is a big thing in our team and we’re just looking forward to bringing that onto next week and hopefully getting another win.”
With MUL looking to build upon their 7-goal victory from last week and the Casey Demons yearning to secure their first win of the season, this contest was destined to be fiery from the get-go.
And it certainly delivered.
An enthralling game of ebbs and flows, both teams got off to a strong start, yet MUL were able to take out a narrow 2-goal margin by quarter time.
As MUL defender Sienna Thornton recounted, “Initially, it was a pretty even game, we were getting a few intercepts here and there but Casey put up a good fight.
“Casey had some good pressure too, especially through the midcourt, they’ve got some speedy girls in their team!”
A dominant second quarter from the nimble Demons outfit saw them snatch the lead from MUL. Casey goaler Myah Healey was an invaluable asset to her side during this period, holding strongly in the ring and rebounding well.
Some great ball movement and the effective utilisation of a full-court defence then allowed Casey to maintain their lead throughout an exhilarating third term, though they only ended the quarter with a 1-goal advantage.
“By the end, it really was tit for tat,” Thornton noted, “everyone got a bit loud in those last five minutes… even the parents! They got a bit involved too which we love.”
Regrettably for Casey however, the odds were in MUL’s favour on the night with goaler Lavinia Fox sinking a goal on the buzzer to cement her team’s 4-goal victory.
“It was a good game in the end, it was a tough one though and Casey fought hard,” said Thornton.
“Their pressure down the court when we were attacking was awesome and they’ve got some very accurate shooters as well.
“As a team, we were focusing on just doing the simple things, so executing our passes and keeping a really tight one-on-one defence which we gradually built as the game went on.
“Our girls put up a good fight, I thought Claire [Oakley] played a ripper of a game, her holds in goal shooter were awesome and then Lavinia [Fox] ending it with that goal at the end was amazing too.
“In general, I think our pressure was really good. We’re looking forward to next week.”
WEEKEND GAMES
CHAMPIONSHIP
GEELONG COUGARS 49 def by NORTH EAST BLAZE 54
CITY WEST FALCONS 51 def HAWKS NETBALL 49
PENINSULA 46 def by ARIELS 69
North East Blaze have successfully put an end to Geelong Cougars’ winning streak, posting a 5-goal victory on Sunday afternoon.
While Cougars were looking to extend their winning streak on home soil, Blaze goaler Nyah Allen’s 93% shooting accuracy (37/40), teamed with Blaze’s strong connection in the midcourt, severely minimised their chances on the day.
Despite the loss, Cougars were able to take away a number of positives, including Julia Woolley’s inspiring performance in the goal ring and Madison Browne’s return to the court, starring in her first match since 2020.
The win bolsters Blaze’s place in the top 4, while Cougars now sit one below at 5th.
Meanwhile at Altona Sports Centre, an exciting late run from Hawks Netball was not enough to overpower the Falcons in the end, as City West came away with a narrow 2-goal victory.
Though the Falcons started strong, with goaler Jane Cook sinking all of her 16 attempts (100% accuracy) in the first term to build a healthy 8-goal lead, the Hawks remained determined, clawing back the margin to just 4 goals by three-quarter time.
However, despite valiant efforts from Hawks’ midcourters Alexandra Salter and Jasmine Ferguson in attack, City West managed to hang on, in ultimately seeing off the 7th-placed Hawks outfit.
A convincing 23-goal win over Peninsula saw Ariels add another win to their belt at Somerville Community & Recreation Centre.
In the end, it all came down to precision in the circle, as Ariels posted a 94% shooting accuracy across the four quarters, against Peninsula’s 77%.
Regrettably for the winless Waves, the defeat marks their fourth loss in a row, in what has been a thorny start to the season for the squad. They will now look to redeem themselves in their clash against MUL next week, while Ariels will face Casey Demons.
DIVISION ONE
CITY WEST FALCONS 59 def HAWKS NETBALL 41
GEELONG COUGARS 45 def by NORTH EAST BLAZE 60
PENINSULA 57 def ARIELS 50
A slow start hurt the Hawks in their clash against the City West Falcons, as the 9th-placed Falcons ultimately pulled away with an 18-goal victory.
Hawks’ shaky first spell, replete with uncharacteristic errors, enabled the Falcons to seize a 13-goal advantage by halftime.
But the Hawks did not resign easily, leveraging some great ball movement and capitalizing on their turnovers to narrow the margin to just 5 goals by three-quarter time.
Hawks’ defenders Clare Pettyfor and Emily Kay combined exceptionally well during this period, in limiting the influence of Falcons’ goalers Jessie Barnes and Caitlin Hill.
However, the Hawks proved no match for City West, as the Falcons regained their composure in the fourth to fly away with a comfortable triumph.
North East Blaze have continued their blistering hot form, as the 2019 premiers claimed a 15-goal win over the Cougars.
The comprehensive victory saw Blaze’s Abigail Gedge (87% accuracy, 31/37), Olivia Ellis and Samantha Coppinger star, while Georgina Cuthbertson (87% accuracy, 20/23) and Zara Walters stood up for the Cougars.
Blaze now remain a force to be reckoned with, in maintaining their top of the table position and undefeated run.
A tough contest between Peninsula and Ariels saw the home side ultimately come away with a 7-goal triumph.
With scores tied at 39-apiece at three-quarter time, it was anyone’s game, until Peninsula’s Jasmin Mackie came out firing in the final stanza (100% accuracy, 15/15), aiding her team to victory.
Ariels will now look to make amends in their Round 5 clash against the Casey Demons, as Peninsula face MUL.
19 & UNDER
CITY WEST FALCONS 48 def by HAWKS NETBALL 52
GEELONG COUGARS 37 def by NORTH EAST BLAZE 48
PENINSULA 42 drew ARIELS 42
A courageous performance from top-of-the-table Hawks saw them extend their winning streak, defeating the Falcons by 4 goals in the end.
Though the Falcons proved threatening, employing fierce defensive pressure and great ball movement, Hawks riposted with some exciting plays and pinpoint passing.
Ultimately, the odds were in favour of the Hawks, who remained composed in the dying minutes to claim the victory.
At Christian College Geelong, a steady four-quarter effort from North East Blaze allowed the dynamic outfit to claim an 11-goal win over the Geelong Cougars.
Led by goaler Cassidy Iedema (92% accuracy, 31/34), Blaze flew out of the blocks early and were then able to build a healthy lead thereafter.
While the Cougars showed glimpses of promise throughout the contest, Blaze were simply too strong from the get-go.
Tying at 42-apiece, the thriller between Peninsula and Ariels saw Somerville audiences gripped until the final buzzer, in what constituted the first draw result in the 19&U division this season.
Though Peninsula had the upper hand initially, Ariels remained relentless in reducing the deficit to 1-goal by the end of the third term.
Midcourter Clara Choi’s work ethic for Ariels was inspirational, as she battled it out against Peninsula’s Abby Williams.
The deadlock leaves Peninsula placed 2nd on the ladder, while Ariels sit 4th.
