KERANG have ended a three game losing streak with a hard-fought three-goal win over a gallant Swan Hill on the weekend.
After trailing by three goals at half time, the Blues were forced to come from behind, with an 11-goal to seven final quarter proving to be the turning point in the 34-31 result.
It was a relieved Chloe Adams who spoke after the match, with the Kerang co-coach happy to get the four points in the wet and windy conditions.
“We were very happy to get over the line, it was a really tough contest all day which we knew it would be against Swan Hill,” Adams said.
“They have some quality and experienced players but then their youth has also come a long way since the last time we played them as well.
“It was a really good contest, but it was also such a tough day of netball in terms of dropping balls and both sides struggling to move the ball as quickly as we usually would given the weather.
“In that way, it was a bit of an ugly game, but it was a good contest, and we were just happy to get the four points in the end.”
Kerang were well served by their goalies Denise Roberts (21 goals) and Katelyn Wright (13 goals), with the pair working well in the Blues’ attacking third of the court.
The game changing moment came following a half time adjustment however, with Kerang struggling to transition the ball from defence to attack with Swan Hill’s pressure in the centre third troubling the Blues.
“We were really struggling to get the ball from defence into our goaling end even though we were getting quite a bit of ball defensively,” Adams said.
“Our goalers were shooting and moving really well, but we just couldn’t bridge that gap between both ends on transition, so we made a few changes in the midcourt that really worked for us.
“We were able to sort of chip the ball from one end to the other and once we started to do that, we started to get a bit of momentum, but Swan Hill definitely didn’t go away.
“We weren’t able to put the foot down as much as we would have liked, but it was good to have a tough contest and end up on the right side of it.”
Among those changes was the move of Mikala McNeil back to wing defence, with the midcourter winning several loose balls and intercepts, along with being pivotal in moving the ball from defence to attack.
McNeil’s move saw Madison Hall move into the centre and 15-year old first gamer Chloe Meehan take the wing attack bib, with Meehan showing poise beyond her years opposed to some of the Central Murray’s best and most experienced midcourters.
Among the Swans’ midcourters to impress were Karli McIntyre and Hayley Neuschafer, who were among Swan Hill’s better players on the day, along with goal attack Ava Seymour who finished with a team high 16 goals.
While a win was a must for Kerang, who have now consolidated their spot in the top three, it was equally important for the Swans, who have now fallen out of the top five with four rounds remaining.
“It was a very disappointing with loss as we had a three-goal lead going into fourth quarter,” Swan Hill coach Casey Frame said post-match.
“I thought we shot well and we supported and backed each other up well and our pressure in the centre third was really good.
“We just struggled to maintain our concentration for the full 15 minutes and we had ups and downs and poor decisions in each quarter, which you simply can’t do against a top five team like Kerang.
“It was disappointing because we played well in patches and if we could have maintained it for the full 15 minutes, then I’m sure the result would have been different.”
Final Whistle
| Kerang | 34 |
|---|---|
| Swan HIll | 31 |
