THE opening round of the netball season saw a number of thrillers in Section 1, as netball reporter Lauren Bordin writes:
STARS ECLIPSE LAKESIDE IN THRILLER
It was a close opening match of the Northern Netball League Section 1 season which resulted in last year’s grand final runner-up Lakeside losing to Fitzroy Stars 34-38.
Early on in the first quarter it looked as if Fitzroy would be facing defeat with Lakeside’s quick movement of the ball down the court, as well as sturdy defence from Hannah Bora and Jessica Elder, keeping the Stars from registering a goal until the middle of the quarter.
However Fitzroy’s ball delivery into its shooters improved in the second half of the quarter and it was able to even up the scoreboard by the end the term.
Fitzroy carried this momentum into the second quarter and strong defensive pressure from Jessica Bamblett and Merle Hall meant Lakeside was unable to score a goal until the six-minute mark of the quarter.
Fitzroy goal attack, Sophie Atkinson also began to show her best and fairest winning form in this quarter, helping her side to a 13-goal quarter and a 7-goal lead at the half-time break.
The Stars continued their strong defence in Lakeside’s goal third, with their pressure forcing Lakeside’s attack to continually feed the ball outside the circle.
However, the difficulty to get the ball into its shooters didn’t stop Lakeside from forcing it into the circle and it was able to reduce the deficit to two goals going into the final quarter.
Elder continued her dominant game in goal defence, intercepting Fitzroy’s first centre pass of the quarter in a crucial play leading to a goal for her side.
After another goal to Lakeside shooter Rebecca Lally the scores were level and it looked as if Lakeside could record a win after finishing the game off with the same intensity of their first quarter.
However, despite Lakeside’s persistence and domination of possession it remained three goals behind at the halfway mark of the final quarter.
With two minutes to go, Lakeside still had a slim chance to win following a turnover in Fitzroy’s attacking third. However, this opportunity was wasted as the ball went out of court in Lakeside’s attacking third in the same play. This resulted in the ball returning to the Stars goal circle, allowing Atkinson to shoot a goal to seal the match.
NORTH CAUSES BOILOVER
North Heidelberg upset last year’s Section 1 premier Diamond Creek by one goal, winning 41-40 in an enthralling Round 1 clash.
North Heidelberg started the match strong and only faltered slightly in the last quarter of the game allowing Diamond Creek to sneak up and close the score gap.
Accuracy was a large factor in ensuring North Heidelberg’s victory. North Heidelberg’s Megan West didn’t miss a shot on goal until halfway through the second quarter, helping to ensure her side had a lead of nine at half-time.
The swop of Elle McDonald from centre to goal defence for the third quarter had an immediate positive impact for Diamond Creek.
McDonald and goal keeper Lynsey Cook teamed up well together to apply pressure on their opposition and force turnovers.
Their solid defensive effort helped slow down the stream of goals by North Heidelberg dramatically. This kept North Heidelberg to 11 second-half goals, in contrast to the 30 it scored in the first half.
Inaccurate passes and fumbles affected both teams at times, with hard fought intercepts not being rewarded as the ball again turned over to the opposition side.
However these mistakes were most prevalent for Diamond Creek as it missed opportunities for goals due to overthrows and poor passes to shooters.
Although Diamond Creek fought hard to reduce the deficit, North Heidelberg was able to keep possession in the final minute as it worked the ball around its attacking third. While a goal was not scored from these efforts, the play ran the clock down to safeguard its slim lead.
