KEY MOMENTS
Championship
- North East Blaze defeated Wilson Storage Southern Saints by a goal in their first match of the season after a bye in Round 1, and brought 17-year-old Howlong product Mia Lavis into the fold. Set to represent Victoria at 19/U level at the upcoming National Netball Championships, Lavis delivered 33 goals at 83% accuracy in a four-quarter performance in her VNL debut. Blaze’s defensive pressure was relentless, Tayissa Coppinger combining with Brodie Smith and Georgia Bowkett to nullify Saints’ goaling combination of Melbourne Vixens squad members Emily Andrew and Lily Graham.
- Reigning premiers City West Falcons are back on the winners’ list after a one-goal loss last week, defeating Hawks by six goals in a strong team performance. The feeds into towering shooter Jane Cook were unstoppable, particularly from Melbourne Mavericks training partner Montana Holmes, and enabled Cook to score an impressive 57 goals from 58 attempts at 98% accuracy.
23&Under
- Gippsland Stars won the battle of the new regional sides, claiming their first win in the competition over fellow newcomers the Bendigo Strikers (58-54). The Stars’ midcourt was humming, the combination of Chloe Radford and Ava Gaul causing the Strikers’ defence headaches over the transverse line to circle edge, and Paris Dunkley having an impact in her time across centre and wing defence.
- Melbourne University Lightning bounced back from their draw last week with a resounding 26-goal win over Casey Demons. Lightning once again demonstrated the versatility of their squad, all 12 athletes spending considerable periods on court, and the raft of changes was effective in disrupting Casey’s flow across the court. Claire Oakley was impressive to post for Lightning (29 goals from 32 attempts), while captain Kirby Elliott was solid across the defensive transverse line.
RESULTS
Championship
WS Southern Saints (51) – (52) North East Blaze
Peninsula Waves (39) – (72) Boroondara Express
Casey Demons (45) – (62) MU Lightning
City West Falcons (72) – (66) Hawks Netball
Geelong Cougars (66) – (43) Western Warriors
*Bendigo Strikers BYE
23&Under
City West Falcons (44) – (52) Hawks Netball
Casey Demons (40) – (66) MU Lightning
Bendigo Strikers (54) – (58) Gippsland Stars
Peninsula Waves (41) – (64) Boroondara Express
WS Southern Saints (43) – (56) North East Blaze
Geelong Cougars (46) – (43) Western Warriors
HOT SHOT LEADERBOARDS
Championship
1. 98 – Jane Cook (Falcons)
2. 87 – Kaylia Stanton (Hawks)
3. 82 – Isabelle Hodgson (Express)
23&Under
1. 67 – Dee Dee Lambert (Blaze)
2. 56 – Myah Healey (Stars)
3. 55 – Hayley Howard (Saints)
NEXT UP – ROUND 3
Monday 18 March – Boroondara
Boroondara Express vs Casey Demons
Wednesday 20 March – State Netball Centre
Peninsula Waves vs WS Southern Saints
Geelong Cougars vs MU Lightning
North East Blaze vs Western Warriors
Bendigo Strikers vs City West Falcons
Hawks Netball vs Gippsland Stars (23&U only; Hawks Championship BYE)
