THIS weekend was a weekend of firsts for the CMFNL, with another history making match occurring on the netball courts – Woorinen and Tooleybuc Manangatang duking it out for the flag.
Neither side had won an A Grade title since the inception of the league in 1997, and it was obvious that both teams were going to come out hard for the win, but unfortunately for the Saints, Tigers fought hadrer.
Umpires Laura Bennie and Lauren Dehne were happy to watch the contesting occur, but Woorinen adjusted by the end of the first half, whereas Tooley Manag were looking for the calls.
Injury time in the first half also saw both teams under pressure, but in the end Tessa and Madeleine Jean dominated in defence for Woorinen against both Goalies.
On the Saints end, Julie Wardle was key to defence, putting Tayla Stanley under a lot of pressure and making her move.
By the end of the first quarter it looked like the match was still open to either team, but when the Tigers seized the lead in the second, they managed to use that momentum and keep themselves going.
With their superior flow down the court, opposed to Tooley Manang’s pass-by-pass strategy, they managed to dominate.
Zoe Fuller, Saints goal shooter came back fierce toward the end of the third, trying to break down the Tiger’s lead, but it was no good.
Woorinen were blessed with easier access to their goalies, whereas Tooley Manag struggled to get it to their shooters, making chasing that margin much harder.
Winger Julie Wardle kept intercepting and sending it back to attack, but just as quick Woorinen were able to turn it over and send it back down.
Despite the sizeable margin, the Saints fought their hearts out, with potential comebacks in the third and fourth, but they just couldn’t convert, and faced with Stanley’s fierce shooting, they were done for.
All in all, both teams played well in the heat, but the Tigers came out on top, securing the flag and the glory.
