NETBALL

VNL

By TOM HAYES

 

THE Gippsland Stars are gearing up for a big week of netball, which ends with their first game at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS).

The Stars will play three games within two weeks, which began with a game against the Melbourne University Lightning last week and continued with the game against Casey Demons earlier this week (story went to print before game was played).

To end the week, the Stars will play at GRISS, hosting Boroondara Express. Also in action in Traralgon will be Hawks Netball and Peninsula Waves, who will get the day underway.

BACK to last week, the Stars showed massive signs of improvement, despite a 12-goal loss to the Lightning.

The Lightning were second on the ladder, and had only lost two games all season, so it was always going to be a tough fixture for the bottom-placed Stars.

Much to their credit, they didn’t shy away from the task, and put in a valiant effort against one of the powerhouses of the league.

The Stars took charge in the early parts of the fixture and found themselves leading the second-placed Lightning by a goal at quarter time, 14-13.

The two sides went toe-to-toe during the second quarter, however unfortunately for the Stars, they had handed their lead over to the Lightning, yet only trailed by two goals.

Melbourne University began to shoot away in the third term, boosting themselves out to a six-goal advantage with a quarter to play, before they closed the door on the Stars to win by 12 goals, 55-43.

Nonetheless, it was one of the better performances from Gippsland all season.

Myah Healey scored 30 goals, shooting at almost 77 per cent accuracy, while Sophie Lecchino scored 10 goals, and Charlize Traumanis scored three.

Healey was named as the Player of the Match for her efforts, which kept the Stars in the game for so long.

 

LAST Monday (June 24), Gippsland Stars travelled to face Casey Demons. Once again, this game was played after this story went to print, so the result was unknown and the match report will be included in next week’s issue.

 

TO complete the week, the Stars will come up against Boroondara Express at the GRISS , which will be their first game at ‘home’ this season.

Gippsland Stars President, Jodie Galea said she was proud of the efforts of all involved, and is excited to see what the girls can dish up this weekend at the GRISS.

“The girls have come along in leaps and bounds since the start of the season, improving in all aspects of their game,” Galea said.

“They’ve become a tight-knit group off the court, and on the court with our defensive pressure, shooting accuracy and mid-court combinations improving weekly.”

The most recent growth from the Stars has caught the attention of Galea, and she is pleased with the results.

“In the past few weeks, the girls have come up against first (Hawks Netball) and second (Melbourne University Lightning) on the ladder for the second time this season, and the improvement between their first and second meetings has been mind-blowing,” she added.

“Some of those teams have been playing together for years, and with ours just coming together this year, we can see that they will be a force to be reckoned with.

“The coaching staff have been working hard, lifting their expectations, which has shown in the girl’s intensity.”

Galea is excited to see the Stars perform at home. The last time Gippsland played Boroondara, they picked up their second win at Victorian Netball League level.

“Consistency for the whole game on Sunday (June 30) is our key for another win. We hope to take out another win at our first home game at the GRISS.”

The Gippsland Stars have $10 memberships available for their inaugural season. Memberships can be purchased at: gippslandstars.teamapp.com/store?_list=v1

“We would love for everyone to get on board and sign up, showing your support for the girls, and we hope to see all of Gippsland at our first home game on Sunday,” Galea said.

The game starts at 12.30pm this Sunday at the GRISS (Catterick Crescent, Traralgon).