Round 5 of the VNL saw debutants right through to 100-gamers take centre stage in a series of fierce battles.
Check out all the action below!
CHAMPIONSHIP
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 35 def by GEELONG COUGARS 77
CITY WEST FALCONS 66 def NORTH EAST BLAZE 58
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 73 def PENINSULA 37
CASEY DEMONS 73 def ARIELS 65
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 52 def HAWKS NETBALL 43
Eager to redeem themselves after a 5-goal loss on home soil last week, the Geelong Cougars came out firing from the opening whistle to notch up a 42-goal triumph over the luckless Saints.
The victory was particularly sweet for Geelong defender Brooke Allan, who celebrated her 100th VNL game on the night.
“We had a loss on Sunday, so we just really worked on ourselves during the week and I think we nailed what we set out to do in our training… so it was good to get a win like that,” Allan said.
“Saints really gave it to us in that first half and they didn’t drop off, even though we got ahead of them for a bit there. They were just really relentless the whole entire game, but that’s something to admire I think, so good on them.
“For us, it was very much a team effort, they all make me look good out there… I’m very much the last line of defence so everything they do out the front, I get the reward really.”
As for her significant milestone, Allan asserted, “It was surprising actually, I didn’t realise it had come up so quick! I’m only 22, so there’s lots more to come I think.
“I’m just lucky to be playing alongside these girls… I love them all and they make me look good, so thanks team!”
On Court 3, another sharp shooting performance from Falcons goaler Jane Cook (96% accuracy, 62/65) empowered her side to clinch a hard-fought 8-goal win over North East Blaze.
Though Blaze started strong, showcasing some exciting passages of play and first-rate ball movement in their attacking third early, Falcons were ultimately too strong, responding with some sensational defensive pressure to seal the victory.
It was a one-sided affair at MSAC, as Melbourne University Lightning (MUL) raced out of the blocks to secure a 36-goal victory over a winless Peninsula.
Despite brave efforts from the last-placed Peninsula outfit, MUL’s strong connection in attack and sharp shooting, courtesy of Mikaela Vaughan (94% accuracy, 55/59) and Claudia Mawson (79% accuracy, 18/23), were simply insurmountable.
MUL midcourters Jordan Cransberg, Kelsie Rainbow and Madeline Stewart also combined well on the night, providing plenty of give-and-go and slick drives down the court.
The win makes it five from five for MUL, in maintaining their undefeated streak and top of the table position.
Drawing in plenty of onlookers, both at the stadium and online via Netball Victoria’s livestream, the Court 2 showdown between Casey Demons and Ariels saw goal shooters Emma Ryde and Rahni Samason battle it out for their respective teams.
Though the Demons ultimately came away with the chocolates, winning 73-65, Ariels were more accurate at the post, with Samason (95% accuracy, 48/51), Stacey Gannon (100%, 13/13) and Olivia Morris (100%, 4/4) teaming nicely.
For Casey, livewire Olivia Macente put together an exceptional performance in the midcourt, drawing intercepts and applying fierce attacking pressure, in guiding her team to victory.
The Demons now sit 3rd on the ladder, while Ariels rank 7th.
A shaky start proved costly for Hawks, as they were forced to play catch-up against a formidable Boroondara outfit at MSAC.
Though Tayla Shannon’s side attempted to inch their way back into the contest, Boroondara were too strong, maintaining their lead at every break and utilizing full-court defensive pressure to curb the influence of the Hawks’ attack.
Boroondara linchpin Uneeq Palavi starred for her side, shooting at 96% accuracy (44/46) and was ably assisted by teammate Stephanie Gorrie in goal attack, in attaining the 9-goal win.
DIVISION ONE
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 56 def by GEELONG COUGARS 60
CITY WEST FALCONS 52 def by NORTH EAST BLAZE 62
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 35 def by PENINSULA 55
CASEY DEMONS 54 def ARIELS 45
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 52 def HAWKS NETBALL 45
A see-sawing skirmish between the Saints and Cougars saw Geelong ultimately prevail by 4 goals, though goaler Georgina Cuthbertson conceded that it was an “ugly win” for her side.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster game, I don’t know if we played our best netball the whole way through but it was good to be able to win under pressure,” said Cuthbertson.
“We threw a bit of ball away, but I think at the end we found our rhythm and were able to push through and take the four points, so we’re happy with that.
“Saints are always tough, we do struggle against them. They’re always very competitive and have strong arms over the ball and a lot of pressure, so they find it easy to turn over the ball. Tonight, they shot well too and were super accurate.
“They just showed that once they got the ball into the circle, they were pretty unstoppable so full credit to them for shooting so well tonight.”
Coming off a 15-goal loss at home last week, Cuthbertson added that her side entered the match looking to redeem themselves.
“Last week was a bit disappointing across the board for our club, unfortunately we weren’t able to get any wins for the day, but it was still great to have the home crowd there and have really good atmosphere down there.
“But at training on Monday night it was about regrouping and really working towards staying positive, working on our structures so that we could come out tonight and hopefully get a win, which we did.”
On Court 3, North East Blaze got the job done over City West Falcons, keeping their undefeated record intact.
The Falcons didn’t go down without a fight though, making a late charge in the last quarter to reduce the final margin to 10 goals.
As Blaze defender Olivia Ellis asserted, “The game is always a tough one when we come up against Falcons, they play quite a different defence to any other team we come up against in the competition and regardless of how the first couple of round have been, we always know that they’re going to put up a good fight.
“In that fourth quarter, they really came back and hit us hard at the end, so they’re always a team you have to be wary of, no matter how many points you’re up by.
“They have a different style of defence and we find that really challenging, so that’s something we’ve been working on in training as well.
“It was good to get the win though, especially to see some of those combinations come together, we’ve got a couple of players who have never played VNL before, especially in that attacking end, the goalers and some of the middies, so it’s really good to see them working well together.
“And I tell you, [Blaze defender] Nakita Singe, she’s just absolutely killing it this season. With COVID-19 in 2020, she put in a major preseason and you can really tell on the court… she can just bring 100% intensity to every single quarter and she’s put in the work and it’s really paying off on the court.
“She’s just so good at getting off that body and taking in those intercepts with two hands… she’s such a valuable player to us.”
After going five from five, the 2019 premiers are now the team to beat in the Division 1 competition, but a humble Ellis insists that her team are still looking to take things week by week.
“Last season, we finally got the icing on the cake, which was a really good eyeopener that we can actually be really capable after coming close to winning a couple of times.
“But now, it’s about not getting complacent. We try to go into every game with a clear mindset, we try not to think about our previous wins because as soon as we get complacent, that’s when we start to drop off, so it’s a new game every week.
“We try not to think about those 5 wins we’ve had, though it’s certainly good to have that position on the ladder, it’s so early in the season and I feel like our team’s got a bit of a target on our back because we did win last season.
“We’re just going to take things one game at a time really.”
Clean passing and strong connection in attack proved the difference in Peninsula’s 20-goal victory over MUL at MSAC.
Though MUL defenders Eliza Gollant, Karina Martin and Sienna Thornton fought tooth and nail, Peninsula goaler Jasmin Mackie was simply unstoppable, amassing 45 goals from 49 attempts (92% accuracy) and working seamlessly with teammate Charlotte Howard in the ring.
Peninsula will now look to continue their winning streak against Hawks next week, as MUL face Geelong Cougars.
An impressive first term from Casey ultimately paid off for the side, in securing a 9-goal victory over Ariels.
Despite Ariels’ best efforts, Casey’s intensity from the opening whistle couldn’t be matched, as Kassidy Withers and Brittany Mashado dominated the midcourt and supplied first-rate feeds into goalers Tahlia Coates and Taylor Dykstra all night.
Casey now sit 7th on the ladder, while Ariels lie two spots above at 5th.
The odds were in favour of Boroondara this week, winning 52-45 over the Hawks.
While the ever-reliable Hawks defensive duo Emily Kay and Clare Pettyfor toiled relentlessly across all four quarters and spearheaded their side’s third-quarter revival, a poised Boroondara outfit managed to weather the storm and convert at key moments.
Boroondara captain Chelsea Sartori proved to be influential, alongside fellow midcourters Alahria Smith and Jessica Leader.
19&U
WILSON STORAGE SOUTHERN SAINTS 48 def GEELONG COUGARS 43
CITY WEST FALCONS 37 def by NORTH EAST BLAZE 42
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LIGHTNING 52 def PENINSULA 50
CASEY DEMONS 45 def by ARIELS 54
BOROONDARA EXPRESS 46 def by HAWKS NETBALL 59
In the 19&U division, Saints took out a gritty 5-goal victory over Geelong, in what was the club’s only win on the night.
Following a 14-all tie at the end of the first term, Saints remained determined and leveraged some midcourt magic, courtesy of Laura Cole and Tadiwanashe Kahonde, to gain a 4-goal advantage by half time.
The 6th-placed side were then able to hold onto their lead until the final buzzer, much to Cole’s relief.
“Obviously we’ve come off a few losses in a row now, so we were really keen to get a good start and really amp up our defensive pressure which was one of our top priorities tonight, which I think we did well,” said Cole.
“We came out firing from the first quarter and we managed to stick with them for the first half and then get over the top of them in the second half, which is really exciting for us because usually we’re on the other side of the close games.
“Geelong were really physical out there, which we’re pretty used to now… we don’t come across any teams in this competition that aren’t physical nowadays! We’re starting to learn to match it with them and be able to take that body on body, but they were a very skilled opposition.”
Teammate Kahonde agreed with Cole’s sentiment, adding: “They’re a really strong side, there were a couple of times where they started to come back and you could probably see the fear in our faces but we kept strong, kept it together and worked hard, which was good.
“Thankfully we started off 100%, our warm-up was really great, we just came in with our minds focused and with the intention to win today and that’s what we were able to do.”
Looking towards Round 5, both players are now hoping to carry their winning momentum into their clash against North East Blaze next week.
“We’ll definitely just try to back it up next week now, we had a really consistent four-quarter effort this week, which we’re going to try and replicate next week again with our defensive pressure,” said Cole.
Kahonde noted, “As we discussed as a team, our warm-up really changed this week, so our focus will be making sure we turn up with our heads in the game and just giving it our all.”
An extraordinary comeback in the final half of play saw North East Blaze seal a 4-goal win over City West Falcons.
Though Falcons secured a 6-goal lead by half time and looked to be in control, Blaze came out with a point to prove in the third term, working tirelessly to reduce the deficit to a single goal, before storming away with the game in the fourth.
As Blaze midcourter Maddy George stated, “We started very slow [in the first half]… our structures just weren’t clicking, even though we had worked so hard on them in preseason. I thought that our communication really dropped off too.
“But we managed to pull it back together at half time, when we talked about our two important words that we’ve been using in training, which is ‘team’ and ‘intent’ and we just straight up said that they weren’t there. We changed some positions and then went back out there, lifted our heads and went back to the structures.
“Falcons are obviously a very strong team. They’ve got a lot of height across the court which I think we struggled with a little bit because we’re a smaller team, and their hands over pressure was really good.
“They made it hard for us in transition with their box and their zone, so I think they’re a very strong team and it was definitely shown during that game, so it was good for us to get the win in the end!”
George was particularly impressed with the performances of teammates Ruby Shannon and Lucy Bult on the night.
“It really was a massive team effort from everyone, but I definitely think Ruby [Shannon] had a massive impact on our game, both in defence and attack. Her defensive pressure down the court and those turnovers that she gained for us really helped us get back into it.
“Lucy Bult coming in after not having much court time in the first half and then coming in and getting a few turnovers was really great to see too.”
With eyes now on Round 6, George noted, “Our focus now is starting stronger, I think we’ve had a few slow starts over the past couple of weeks so it’s really from the first whistle, starting strong and starting our communication up from there and following our game plan.
“Just coming back to the basics and keeping possession is really important too so we don’t have to play catch up again because that’s always hard to come back. We did it today but hopefully we can start a little bit better next week.”
In an absolute nail-biter at MSAC, MUL outlasted a fierce Peninsula outfit to claim a 2-goal victory.
With play neck and neck across all four quarters, both sides dug deep, but it was MUL who stood up at the end, converting at key moments.
For VNL debutants Eryn Stocker and Talia Anderson, the loss was particularly bittersweet, however both players showed plenty of positive signs and will be ones to watch in upcoming rounds.
The result now places MUL in second position on the ladder, while Peninsula sit one below at third.
Commandeering the lead early, Casey looked to be on track to secure their first win of the season.
However, it wasn’t to be for the spirited side, as Ariels fired up in the final half to surge ahead and take out a 9-goal victory.
“I think we definitely went out in that first quarter nice and strong,” Casey midcourter Chantelle Dale remarked, “we were all motivated from the start to get out there and win the game, and you could tell – we were 6 goals up in the first quarter and had great defensive pressure.
“In the second quarter, we still came on quite strong, we wanted the ball and were motivated, and we got some great intercepts, great passages of play but we dropped a tiny bit. We didn’t let it get to our heads though, we were still in the game.
“At three quarter time, we were 1 down and we knew at that point that we really had to pull our heads in… I think what happened in the last quarter is we just felt the pressure and we couldn’t convert our turnovers.
“We did have great turnovers, we did put up lots of shots, but we just couldn’t convert it.
“The shooters for Ariels were really good tonight, they got lots of rebounds and they got the ball quite often. Also, their wing attack [Hollie Bugeja], she was really good… she got out every single pass and made it difficult for me to get out.
“They were just really quick, their defensive pressure was really good and got their shots in and that proved the difference.
“Overall, our girls did do an amazing job though, we got quite a few intercepts, we put 80 shots up, we just need to convert those from now on.
“But definitely, from here on in, we’re going to win some games.”
The Hawks have made it five wins on the trot after defeating Boroondara by 13 goals at MSAC.
Despite a strong start from Boroondara which left Hawks trailing by 2 goals at quarter time, the top-of-the-table side worked relentlessly to take out a 9-goal advantage by half time, before pulling away in the last half to secure the victory.
Hawks will now look to make it six from six in their Round 6 clash against Peninsula, while Boroondara will face Ariels.
