Eagles upset the Roos
A 14-goal-to-five first quarter helped the Mallee Eagles secure an upset five-goal victory over Balranald at Greenham Park at the weekend.
With Jess Parry still missing for the Roos through a knee injury, Balranald were forced to play catch-up following their slow start and managed to peg the margin back to just three goals by half-time.
By midway through the third quarter, Balranald had managed to draw level with the Eagles, but that would be as close they would get.
Megan Thorneycroft and Nevaeh Roberts stamped their authority on the contest from that moment on at either end of the court, the visitors eventually securing a hard-fought 44-39 win.
Despite sitting sixth on the ladder, it was a performance that will give the Eagles plenty of confidence as they head into the second half of the season, according to co-coach Alicia Harvey, who was also pleased with her team’s character and fight when they were challenged after quarter-time.
“We’re very happy to come away with the four points, but credit to Balranald, playing catch-up netball is always hard against any team,” Harvey said.
“We knew we weren’t out of the woods, even after that stellar first quarter, there were so many momentum shifts throughout the game, they got a few turnovers and even got the lead on us a couple times in the last half, but we played our game and our netball right to the very end and Jess (Jobling, Eagles co-coach) and I couldn’t have asked more of our girls.
“We were 3-3 coming into the game, so we definitely needed the win to keep our finals hopes alive.
“Balranald are always a tough match-up and are definitely a contender for the flag this year, but Saturday proved that we are too.”
Roberts and Thorneycroft were named as the best players for the Eagles. Bonnie Jolliffe, Bree Hodgson and Elli-Jane Pollard were the better players for Balranald.
FINAL WHISTLE
BALRANALD 39
MALLEE EAGLES 44
Demons claim heart-stopper
NYAH-Nyah West United have managed to keep their finals hopes alive with a heart-stopping three-goal win over a determined Kerang.
Sitting seventh on the ladder with two wins from their first six matches, the Demons quickly skipped out to a five-goal lead at quarter-time, and the visitors maintained that advantage in the second quarter.
Kerang would hit back in the third term, when former NNW United goal shooter Denise Snyder scoring nine of the Blues’ 13 goals to reduce the margin to just two goals, setting up a grandstand finish.
With their season on the line, the Demons responded.
Matika Mitchell dominated the final quarter with her ball movement into goalers Sarah Gaskin (22 goals) and Stephanie Henson (20) helping NNW United secure a 42-39 victory.
FINAL WHISTLE
KERANG 39
NNW UNITED 42
Bulldogs on a roll
TYNTYNDER have maintained their spot in the top five with a 16-goal win over an improving Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
After starting the match with seven unanswered goals, the Bulldogs continued their strong form to take a 14-goal lead into the half-time break, before maintaining their advantage in the second half on their way to a 70- 54 win.
It was a result that keeps the Bulldogs in the hunt for the top five ahead of their standalone King’s Birthday clash against rivals Swan Hill this Saturday.
Tyntynder coach Kelsey Rowe was satisfied with her team’s performance.
“It was a great game for us, our connections were really strong, and we were able to adapt to different defensive pressures, which was a big positive for us,” Rowe said.
The Bulldogs’ better players were Monica Ellis, Bridget Dedini and Nichola Miliano, while Tooleybuc-Manangatang centre Jayda Plant was in her team’s best, along with Summer Blachford and Shaniah Nunn.
While the Saints’ starts are beginning to cause them headaches, there were still plenty of positives to take from the match, according to coach Mel Wait.
“It took us a while to get going, but once we found our groove we went goal for goal,” Wait said.
“(Tyntynder) were slick in the goal ring, and it took us a while to get our match-ups right, but we are building some great patches of play and our goalers are starting to combine well.”
FINAL WHISTLE
TYNTYNDER 70
TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG 54
Tigers keep in touch
DESPITE being without senior coach Tayla Bennett, Woorinen proved too strong for Koondrook-Barham in a comfortable 27-goal win.
The Tigers sit just one and a half games outside the five after eight games, and have winnable games against Tooleybuc-Manangatang, the Mallee Eagles and NNW United to follow their two-week bye.
After skipping out to a 14-4 lead at quarter-time, the Tigers continued to dominate the match, securing a 62-35 win.
Young goaler Willow Conlan was again dominant in the ring, shooting 52 of the Tigers’ 62 goals.
Despite the heavy loss, there were still positives to take for the young Raiders, who won the third quarter by a goal and continued to play the game out, with Tlarnee Lake (23 goals) again among her team’s better players.
FINAL WHISTLE
KOONDROOK-BARHAM 35
WOORINEN 62
