Roos in comeback win
A 12-goal-to-seven last quarter gave Balranald a come-from-behind five-goal win over Woorinen in trying conditions at Tigerland on Saturday.
The Roos’ defence stepped up to create several key intercepts which turned into scores during a frantic final quarter that has all but ended Woorinen’s hopes of playing finals.
As strong winds made scoring difficult, Balranald’s ability to get the ball under the ring proved decisive, with the Tigers forced to take longer shots at goal at the other end due to the strong defensive presence of Elli-Jane Pollard and Grace Morton.
The pair were both among the Roos’ better players, along with goal attack Ella Mirtschin, who shot 18 goals.
Pollard was pleased with her team’s performance.
“It was a great win for us in the wet, we were really happy with how the girls fought it out after having a week off,” Pollard said.
Although Woorinen are mathematically still in the finals race, they would need everything to go right from this point, including a percentage-boosting win against Tyntynder this Saturday.
Tigers coach Tayla Bennett acknowledged as much.
“It was a tough game with challenging conditions, we gave it our all and we’re proud of the netball that was on show,” Bennett said.
“We had some great passages of play and worked hard, unfortunately we just ran out of time to gain the lead back.
“Now we turn to next week and hope to finish the season off strong.”
Tessa Demaria, who moved from defence to the centre in the third quarter, was among Woorinen’s key contributors, along with young goal shooter Willow Conlan, who shot 22 of her team’s 30 goals.
Final Score
| Woorinen | 30 |
| Balranald | 35 |
Swans trouble Kangas
THE Cohuna Kangas will need to beat a refreshed NNW United to secure a finals berth after suffering a 17-goal loss to Swan Hill at Alan Garden Reserve.
Tyntynder’s win over Koondrook-Barham brought them within two points of the Kangas ahead of the final home-and-away round, with Swan Hill’s 51-34 result also keeping their hopes of finishing on top alive.
Zoe Morris was again influential for the Swans, with their dominant goal shooter scoring 36 goals for the afternoon.
Swan Hill co-coach Madeleine Nalder was impressed with her team’s ability to fight through the difficult conditions to get the result.
“We were happy with our win, especially given how tough the conditions were, particularly in the first half,” Nalder said.
“It was a tough game, which was what we expected.
“Cohuna put a lot of pressure on us all over the court defensively, and we had to be patient and work through that over the course of the game.”
Holly Rogers was among Swan Hill’s better players, with her ability to feed the ball into the ring a key contributor in the Swans’ success alongside the performance of Morris.
Final Score
| Swan Hill | 51 |
| Cohuna | 34 |
Magpies still flying high
TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang’s two-game winning streak was ended at the hands of unbeaten Lake Boga, who extended their own winning streak to 15 games with a 23-goal victory.
The ladder leaders were once again quick out of the blocks and took a nine-goal lead into the first break, before the Saints hit back in the second term to outscore the Magpies and trail by just seven points at half-time.
That’s where the joy ended for the home side, however, with Lake Boga taking control in the second half on their way to a 64-41 win.
Taigan O’Shannassy and Emma Peacock were among the Magpies’ better players, according to Lake Boga coach Anne-Marie Stewart, who was happy with her team’s form ahead of their upcoming finals campaign.
“The girls played really well in challenging conditions wind and rain,” Stewart said.
“Sarah (Hepburn) and Katie (Carmichael) played beautifully together with speed and accuracy once again, while ‘Taigs’ (O’Shannassy) played a beautiful game in the centre, linking our attack end, as well as playing an amazing defensive game which was a delight to watch.
“Milla (Holt) and Jayda (Fleming) played on the wings and did a wonderful job and our ring defenders were tough, they made life difficult for the attackers again, with Emma (Peacock) and Jemma (Meehan) strong with their rebounding and intercepting.”
Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s better players were Jayda Plant and Laura Carland.
Final Score
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 41 |
| Lake Boga | 64 |
Bulldogs give hopes a boost
TYNTYNDER will go into this Saturday’s must-win match against Woorinen full of confidence after staying alive in the finals race with a 15-goal win over Koondrook-Barham.
The 51-36 win kept the Bulldogs in the hunt for the top five following Cohuna’s loss to Swan Hill, with Tyntynder now sitting just two points behind the fifth-placed Kangas on the ladder.
Tyntynder coach Kelsey Rowe was already looking forward to her team’s season-defining game against the Tigers on Saturday.
She said the Bulldogs were forced to change their fast and attacking style of netball against the River Raiders due to the inclement weather.
“We were very happy with the win, the weather definitely put a dampener on the kind of netball we would have liked to play however,” Rowe said.
“It was a pretty slow and scrappy game due to wet conditions, but the girls produced a great team effort.”
Bridgette King and Bridget Dedini were among Tyntynder’s better players.
Final Score
| Koondrook-Barham | 36 |
| Tyntynder | 51 |
