KEY MOMENTS
Championship
- Boroondara Express remains the only undefeated side in Championship, overcoming North East Blaze in a tight contest by six. Tara Watson was outstanding in centre for Blaze but slick connections in attack from Alahria Smith and Zali Anderson, and Sarah Szczykulski applying relentless pressure in defence for Express, proved too strong.
- Geelong Cougars triumphed over the Hawks in a two-goal thriller. Defenders Indya Forde and Brooke Allan combined brilliantly for the Cougars, shutting down Kaylia Stanton and Annabelle Gorman, while Kiahna Fallon contributed strongly in WD to shut down the feeds
- Bendigo Strikers’ Milly Brock dominated under the post again with 41 at 84% against MU Lightning. Ruby Turner and Charlotte Sexton continued building their combination in defence and forced changes in the Lightning lineup; Lightning managed to get all 12 players on court but couldn’t quite get over the line despite the best efforts of Ramayer Gourley who was impressive in GK.
- Jane Cook shot an incredible 71 goals at 95% in the Falcons' emphatic 19-goal win over Casey Demons, well supported by Uneeq Palavi with 15 at 100%.
23&Under
- It was a tight contest between North East Blaze and Boroondara Express, with both sides eyeing the top four spot. Four of Express’ goalers shared the load, while at the other end, the defensive combo of Abby Hocking and Kirra Parks made life hard for Dee Dee Lambert (19 at 83%) and Mia Lavis (23 at 85%).
- Jess Tetley led her Hawks side to another win over the Cougars, shouldering the bulk of the shooting load with 39 at 80%. Charli Hoey and Mia Aitken put up a fight in defence for Cougars but couldn’t combat the pace and feeding accuracy of Kaila Swindell and Sienna Green.
- City West Falcons managed their first win in three weeks, with Amalani Fauonuku leading the charge in the circle, while Fionnuala McKeagney-Stubbs was valuable, showing her versatility as she took on each midcourt position throughout the match. Casey’s Olivia Hamilton worked hard in defence across the transverse line but the Falcons’ attackers managed to break through.
- MU Lightning managed an eight-goal win over Bendigo Strikers, however it didn’t come without a fight. The Strikers currently sit 11th on the ladder and showed promising signs against second-placed Lightning who executed a full team effort to get them over the line.
RESULTS
Championship
North East Blaze (50) vs (56) Boroondara Express
MU Lightning (51) vs (53) Bendigo Strikers
Hawks Netball (50) vs (52) Geelong Cougars
City West Falcons (87) vs (68) Casey Demons
WS Southern Saints (59) vs (45) Western Warriors
*Peninsula Waves BYE
23&Under
North East Blaze (48) vs (51) Boroondara Express
MU Lightning (62) vs (50) Bendigo Strikers
Hawks Netball (54) vs (43) Geelong Cougars
City West Falcons (50) vs (39) Casey Demons
WS Southern Saints (52) vs (47) Western Warriors
Peninsula Waves (55) vs (37) Gippsland Stars
HOT SHOT LEADERBOARDS
Championship
1. 350 – Jane Cook (Falcons)
2. 336 – Kaylia Stanton (Hawks)
3. 332 – Kim Borger (Warriors)
23&Under
1. 302 – Jess Tetley (Hawks)
2. 282 – Charlize Gabel Joseph (Waves)
3. 275 – Hayley Howard (Saints)
NEXT UP – ROUND 10
Wednesday 8 May
State Netball Centre, Parkville
- WS Southern Saints vs City West Falcons
- Casey Demons vs North East Blaze
- Hawks Netball vs Bendigo Strikers
- Western Warriors vs Gippsland Stars (23&U only; Warriors Championship BYE)
- MU Lightning vs Boroondara Express
- Geelong Cougars vs Peninsula Waves
