NYAH Nyah West United has blown off their first quarter rust to eliminate Tyntynder from this year’s senior netball competition, with goal shooter Denise Snyder’s nerves of steel helping the Demons to a 42-37 win.
Whether it was from long-range or short-range in the shooting circle, Snyder was hard to handle for Tyntynder’s goal keeper Kate Morrison and took most advantages on offer to her, as the Demons clawed their way back from five down.
The mid-court battle was fierce, with Tyntynder centre and captain Teagan Lawry taking it to her opposition Madison Andrews, while Demons co-captain Teina Lusty playing tough against Bulldogs youngster Laura Anderson.
Speaking at the end of the game, coach Clark said she was proud of her side who broke the script.
“(Shooter) Denise (Snyder) and (goal attack) Mikayla (Burge) were really good for us today, they just did what we have asked them to do all year,” she said.
“It was a tough game and with umpires like they were today, we just had to contest every ball and play well.”
The elimination final started with both sides holding their own for much of the first quarter.
The ball was rebounding back and forth between the sides, but Tyntynder finally broke the Demons midway through the first.
Led by Jaclyn Clark, movement from Rowe allowed the goal circle to open up for the Bulldogs, swiftly taking three goals as the quarter finished with Tyntynder leading 14 to nine.
The Demons came out in the second quarter with clear intent — to drive towards the ball hard.
The agile mid-court and attacking end worked superbly for the Demons who clawed their way back down from five-point deficient, with goalie Snyder dominant.
The Bulldogs tried to continue using heavy defence to put the Demons off, but Nyah Nyah West United’s ability to keep moving the ball until an option opened for Snyder or Burge was near-unstoppable.
A run of four goals had the Demons right back in it, before an injury to Tyntynder goal keeper Kate Morrison saw inexperienced shooter Zoe Spence-Benfield come on in keeper.
This forced change allowed the game to continue shifting towards Snyder and her Demons, with high passes from centre Andrews, Lusty and Burge on point for the shooter to capitalise.
Spence-Benfield struggled with Snyder’s clean hands allowing the Demons to take a halftime lead of 21-20.
At the start of the third quarter, goal attack Kelsey Rowe was able to find first points for Tyntynder before Snyder returned the favour up on the Demons end.
In a rare miss under goal, Tyntynder’s Jaclyn Clark committed an unforced error to allow Snyder to use her split to get in close and score again.
The quarter began to turn when the umpire reminded Rowe of the new play-on rules when she took a shot after the whistle.
The Demons were good enough to hold out a tough, determined Bulldogs outfit, with Demons’ mid-court a big feature through centre Andrews, wing Lusty.
At three quarter time, Demons led 31-29.
The last quarter was all academic for the Demons who managed to build and hold their three-point lead, but it was a tough battle all day across the court until the final whistle.
