ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
NETBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC SATURDAY was Moe’s day. The Lions annihilated Morwell in the Gippsland League A Grade Grand Final, taking the premiership for season 2023. Right from the start, there was no letting up, as the minor premier handed the reigning premier an almighty defeat, 64 to 30. The stage was set at Morwell Recreation Reserve, with the sun shining, supporters cheering and players looking fit and firing. There was an anticipation among the masses as everyone gathered to watch a local netball master class. A sea of maroon, blue and gold infiltrated the Morwell ground as streamers and balloons shook in the wind with head shot cut outs and posters of all shapes and sizes ready to present. With no free seats in the house, the cheering was likened to a football atmosphere. As players began to take the court and assume their positions, all their nerves were put aside to focus on the game ahead. That first whistle blew and the white line fever began. Morwell had the first centre pass but fumbled and lost the ball, with the Lions capitalising on the Tigers’ mistake. Moe’s court system worked brilliantly in the first quarter. Midcourters Macy Gardiner and skipper Alex Moody demonstrated what perfect transition looked like and topped it all off with brilliant feeds into coach and goal shooter Ramayer Gourley. Moe was able to dominate play for most of the first quarter, keeping the Tigers scoreless while having eight goals of their own. The Moe crowd went wild as the team pilled on goal after goal. Morwell looked like they could not catch a break. Chloe Radford in centre tried all she could to change Morwell’s pace of the game, but Moe’s defensive pressure was all too strong. Young Tiger goal keeper Anna Solomon had the match-up against Gourley. Though the height difference looked a concern, Solomon had the vertical leap to match. It seemed like the ball never left Moe’s attacking quarter, but, Solomon continued to battle which made for entertaining viewing. Approaching the first quarter break, Morwell was finally able to convert on a turnover, as Daisy Hill took no chances and sunk her first bucket for the day. Moe’s Emma Sculley impressed as she took a huge overhead intercept to put Moe on the charge again. In the same play down the other end of the court, Solomon worked her magic and drew a contact from Gourley to give Morwell a chance at their next goal, but no dice as Moe’s pressure had completely bewildered the Tigers who managed only two goals to the Lions’ 15 in the first quarter. The Lions faithful had silenced the home crowd by the first break, with the Moe chant echoing across the court. As the A Graders got back to the big stage there was no doubt Tigers coach Rachael Paterson offered some words of wisdom to perhaps dig deep and restart, but Moe looked to be in a prime spot to run out the game – and that they did. Moe came out with a fire in their eyes and kept their possession to go 20-4, but Morwell were able to make a charge off the impressive defence of Solomon, Courtney Garth and Tanya Budge, with Claire Marks feeding into Hill who got the Tigers back on track and soon enough, Morwell had 12 on the board to Moe’s 26. The Lions, not wanting to concede any more goals, subbed Hollie Bugeja back to the wing defence position as her arms over pressure was unparalleled. Morwell were forced long, sideways and on the sidelines despite Saskia Eenjes’, Radford’s and Rachel Tatterson’s immense work rates. The Lions cheer squad were up and about as Moe took control back of the game to go further ahead 31-13. Morwell’s Solomon impressed in the ring, with her ability to reject balls and read the play, she didn’t let Moe goals come easy. Morwell’s Ellie Pollutro was injected into the game with Hill taking a spell on the bench, as Morwell had to try something to bring the score back. Despite the Tigers’ efforts, Moe still outscored them in the second quarter 16 to 12. Halftime came as a relief to the Tigers’ players, who needed to reset and forget about the score. But as the ball went back into play, it was all one way traffic. Moe’s Olivia Barnett, Sculley, Jordan Pyle and Bugeja applied defensive pressure, forcing the turn over, feeding down the court to either Charlize Bird, Gardiner or Alex Moody, into the ring with a lob to the holding Gourley or finding the arms of Georgia Moody. Morwell had no answers for the systematic game plan of the Lions. The Tigers had been chasing tail all day, and with so much to make up, the team began throwing long bombs and rushing the ball down to make a quick comeback. Rolling the dice would not pay off with ball readers like Barnett, who picked off every loose Tigers ball. The third quarter saw the Lions outscore the Tigers by 11 goals and Morwell began to contemplate the severity of the score. If scoreboard pressure is a real phenomena, Moe applied it well, with Morwell unable to get back in the game, while the Lions score continued to grow in the fourth quarter. The young Lions team outran the Tigers in the end, with Gourley stunning the crowd as she put the hold on, rolled, split and shot every time. Solomon, who attempted to resurrect her team from the ashes, had been a workhorse for the Tigers down back, but it came at a cost as she began to cramp in her calves. By the closing minutes, the Morwell girls had time to reflect and let the loss sink in, but for the Moe team, smiles began to appear as the clock began to tick down. Every ball, every call and every contest went Moe’s way on Saturday. Was it a case of wanting it more? Having a bigger heart? Who knows, but to witnesses the pure elation on the teams face as they won the premiership by 34 goals was something special. The final siren rang, with the crowd storming the court as tears flowed and warm embraces were shared. The Lions had defeated the Tigers. In her post match speech, Patterson congratulated the Moe team on their achievement. “(Moe) did really well to have a really solid start, we knew that Ramayer would get that team together tight and it was really good to watch,” she said. “Unfortunately, you know sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and I don’t know it would’ve been really hard if we lost by two points or maybe a goal (but) I had a long time to processes that. We’ve had a really really good last four years and you know what – it is what it is.” Coach Gourley was outstanding in the win; a strong ring presence with lethal accuracy, it was no wonder why she was awarded TRFM’s player of the match and received best-on-court honours. As the Moe faithful cheered Gourley to the microphone, she thanked Morwell for the contest. “Thank you Morwell, you have been the real bar for the last four years and we’ve been chasing. You’re amazing – obviously not your day today but we know you’ll come back strong next year,” she said. Gourley thanked the club for their support in preparing her for the coaching role and the Moe Lions faithful who got around their A Grade team. Holding back tears, Gourley extended her appreciation to her team and teammates. “To my girls, I don’t want to say too much because I’m gonna cry but I’m so proud of all of you. You’ve been the best girls to coach, you make me look so good, thank you,” she concluded to an upstanding ovation. Victories are always sweet but I’m betting that Moe will really enjoy this one.
