Dominant performances and down-to-the-wire finishes; with all 10 clubs gathered under one roof for the first time this season, there was plenty of action on show at the State Netball Centre.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Geelong Cougars (42) defeated Melbourne University Lightning (41)
Ariels (34) defeated by Boroondara Express (81)
North East Blaze (61) defeated Hawks Netball (44)
City West Falcons (86) defeated Peninsula Waves (44)
Casey Demons (54) defeated by Wilson Storage Southern Saints (58)
Geelong Cougars welcomed Emily Kingston (née Post) back into their Championship team, just months after giving birth to twins. She was a force to be reckoned with in the midcourt, often butting heads with former Kestrel Shae Brown (née Bolton). Despite a late turnover with two minutes remaining, the Cougars held on to their lead, winning by just one goal.
Boroondara Express and City West Falcons had dominant wins over Ariels and Peninsula Waves respectively, while the Wilson Storage Southern Saints emerged victorious in a tight tussle with Casey Demons. North East Blaze continued their winning streak from Round 1, defeating Hawks Netball by 17 goals in a fitting celebration for Kali Dolphin’s 50th game.
DIVISION 1
North East Blaze (42) defeated by Hawks Netball (54)
City West Falcons (56) defeated Peninsula Waves (43)
Casey Demons (43) defeated by Wilson Storage Southern Saints (59)
Ariels (38) defeated by Boroondara Express (41)
Geelong Cougars (44) defeated Melbourne University Lightning (37)
Ariels and Boroondara fought out the tightest contest in Division 1, Express getting the win by three goals. Kaylah Loulanting also celebrated her 50th game for North East Blaze, but the team couldn’t get across the line against the Hawks, going down by 12 goals.
It was a series of comfortable wins for the remainder of the division. Tharjini Sivalingam showed her prowess for the Falcons in their win, shooting 25 goals with 100% accuracy. The Saints got a win on the board after their draw in Round 1, with hot shot Malia Seumanutafa scoring 38 of the Saints’ 59 goals to continue her good form. Geelong also followed up their tight win last week with a strong performance over Lightning.
19/UNDER
Casey Demons (49) defeated by Wilson Storage Southern Saints (52)
Ariels (56) defeated Boroondara Express (52)
Geelong Cougars (27) defeated by Melbourne University Lightning (55)
City West Falcons (75) defeated Peninsula Waves (46)
North East Blaze (51) defeated Hawks Netball (26)
There was plenty to celebrate for Ariels, with Mia Lui shooting 24 goals to lead the team to their first win for the season. The Falcons continued their impressive run with a 29-goal win over the Waves, Holly Adams-Alcock shooting more than half the Falcons’ goals at 90% accuracy.
Lightning claimed their first victory of the night against Geelong in what was a true team effort, surging ahead to win by 28 goals. North East Blaze continued their dominant run, scoring almost double the number of goals as the Hawks in their 51–26 win. The Demons fought a tough battle against the Saints, but it wasn’t enough to stop them from marching to a Round 2 clean sweep.
UP NEXT
Round 3 – Wednesday 29 March
- Boroondara Express vs Geelong Cougars
- Melbourne University Lightning vs Casey Demons (Livestream – Netball Victoria Facebook Page)
- Hawks Netball vs City West Falcons
- North East Blaze vs Peninsula Waves (Livestream – KommunityTV)
- Wilson Storage Southern Saints vs Ariels - Oakleigh Rec Centre
