NETBALL

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

Gippsland League

ROUND 11 of Gippsland League netball may not have wielded the results to describe it as the best we’ve seen this year, but what it did do was reconfirm the most dangerous sides.

Drouin were not about to work themselves into a game against the bottom-placed team in the competition, quite the opposite, dishing out a 43 to 17 start.

They buried Maffra’s chances, and with a final quarter of 25-12, the Hawks almost got it to a round 50-goal win away from home.

Drouin had three players notch more than 20 goals, including Stacie Gardiner (38), Charlize Traumanis (27), and Karina Proctor (20), while Maffra had Keisha Jackson with a team-high 24.

Wonthaggi finished the round inside finals position after a 60-35 takedown of Sale.

The Power scored in bunches at every term on their home court, including an 18-5 start.

Wonthaggi’s Chelsea Bowman continued her stellar season with 33 goals, alongside Courtney Brann with 27 while Kate Van der Voort had 24 goals for Sale.

For their eleventh consecutive win this year, Moe showed no mercy to a hopeful Leongatha, as the Lions stormed home 76-45 winners at Ted Summerton.

In one of their best starts for the year, Moe piled on 41 goals in the opening half to the Parrots’ 23, and more or less kept that same pace all the way to the finish line. The reigning premier now sits two games clear from Drouin, while Leongatha sits at seventh-place with a 4-7 win-loss record; two games back from finals.

Ramayer Gourley is on the hottest of streaks, with better than 43 goals in her last three matches (including 49 goals at the weekend) along with 27 goals from Georgia Moody.

Leongatha was led by Audrey McGannon with 30 goals and Mikaeli Hilliar with 14.

Warragul held onto a top-three position after a 66-51 victory over Traralgon.

The Gulls would have expected a hot contest early, with Traralgon’s impressive three-goal win over Bairnsdale in Round 10 and a draw to Morwell the week before fresh in their minds.

Warragul however, at home, led 31-24 at halftime.

The Gulls asserted themselves most prominently in the third quarter with a game-high 19 goals.

Emma Ryde continues a sensational season with 63 goals in the match. Ryde leads the league goal shooting by more than 50 goals from second-placed Gourley (Moe) despite playing one less game than everyone else.

Sophie Lecchino (27 goals) and Grace Van Tilburg (21) worked hand-in-hand, whilst Stacey Jacobsen impressed through centre court to collect best-on-court honours for the Maroons.

Morwell’s door appears almost shut completely this season following a 67-41 loss to Bairnsdale on the road.

The Redlegs held a safe distance on the Tigers following a strong first half that had them up 11 goals, and then damage continued including an 18-8 final quarter to stamp the win.

Bairnsdale’s Anna Mooney had 39 goals, supported by Sally Deller’s 28 while Tiffany Boatman led the Tigers with 27.

The Redlegs now keep themselves in the hunt between Traralgon and Wonthaggi for fourth and fifth spots by season’s end.

 

Mid Gippsland FNL

MID GIPPSLAND netball again saw separation in its results during Round 10.

Yinnar remained at the top of the table after defeating MDU, 61-45 at home. The Magpies now sit with a win-loss record of 7-1 and are clearly the team to beat.

Skye McDonald added to her league-leading goal tally with 40 goals against the Demons, as well as 21 goals from Claire Thorburn.

MDU were led by Alahna Arnason with 24 goals and Lillyca White with 19 as the Demons moved back to fourth on the ladder.

Morwell East trashed bottom-placed Thorpdale, 71-19, to move into third position on the ladder.

Sukie Hodgson had 42 goals along with Tayla Watson (29) for the Hawks at Ronald Reserve.

Newborough succumbed to Foster, 61-50, to create a two-game cushion over the four sides eyeing off fifth spot on the ladder, including the Bulldogs.

It was a back-and-forth opening to the game at Foster, with Newborough leading at the break, 13-12, on enemy territory and the same momentum from both sides collided with a drawn at half, 24-all.

The third quarter wielded similar results both ways, this time with the Tigers holding a narrow one-goal lead just in time for the final term.

Foster would run over Newborough to conclude, outscoring them 20-10 including an eight goal to one passage in a five minute span halfway through the quarter.

The Tigers were led firmly by the scoring power of Ella Rendell and Brylee Angwin, 35 and 26 goals respectively, while the Bulldogs had Demi Cladow with 21 goals and a split in goal shooter with Caitlin Demczuk and Paige Dabb with 15 and 14 goals each.

The result pushes the Bulldogs in danger of missing the finals at a win-loss record of 4-5 just outside of that realm currently.

Fish Creek found themselves right back in the thick of it, positioned at second on the ladder after beating Boolarra away, 54-48.

The Kangaroos fifth win in a row came difficultly, being down by three goals at three-quarter time after leading at each break before that.

The final quarter would see rise to Jessica Edgar, who scored all but three of Fish Creek’s 16 goals during that run to collect the win.

Edgar had a total of 38 goals on the day, with another 12 goals coming from Isabella Cocksedge, whilst Bollarra split, scoring 25 goals from Tessa Jewell and 23 from Jaclyn Price.

Toora defeated evenly matched Stony Creek on the Lions home deck, 35-23 to give the Magpies their fourth win for the season.

In a low-scoring affair (7-4 after the first quarter), Toora forced enough of a lead by halftime to give the Lions no real chance of a comeback.

Brittany Roffey led the Magpies with 19 goals and Melissa Blackshaw led Stony Creek with 15.

Tarwin and Mirboo North had the bye.

 

North Gippsland FNL

FOLLOWING Round 10 of North Gippsland netball, the top five has almost been etched, with the most competitive sides clinching needed results to keep near undefeated Sale City, who rested with the bye at the weekend.

Traralgon Tyers United withstood an up-and-about Yallourn Yallourn North, winning 40 to 30 at Tyers.

Heyfield defeated Cowwarr, 55-29 in the Pride Game at Gordon Street Reserve. The Kangaroos now with a win-loss record of 8-1, while Cowwar is scrambling for a late finals push at 3-6 in eighth position on the ladder.

Woodside made short work of Gormandale, winning 72-42 at Tigerland, to put the Wildcats firmly into fourth position on the ladder.

Churchill looked as impressive as ever defeating Glengarry, 62-33 at Gaskin Park to create a clear top-three between themselves, Heyfield and Sale City all with eight wins on the year, whilst the Magpies sit two games back off fifth spot at 3-6.

Rosedale wiped clean of winless Yarram, 69-29 at Yarram, to keep the Blues within striking distance of finals at 4-5.