Reviews of Diamond Creek 2 vs Greensborough 1 and Ivanhoe 1 vs Heidelberg 1 from the opening round of netball grading.
ROUND 1 GRADING – DIAMOND CREEK 2 VS GREENSBOROUGH 1
Diamond Creek 2 opened its 2019 campaign with a five-goal win over Greensborough 1 at RMIT University.
A tight start to the game saw teams go score for score in the first quarter.
Diamond Creek established a lead late in the quarter, with one particular highlight coming when centre Cassie Lewis acrobatically managed to keep the ball in play, which led to goal attack Tiarne Shell putting the Creekers ahead by three.
Greensborough fell into a pattern of over running for the ball and lost several chances to score.
Quick runs into the circle by Diamond Creek gave them an advantage heading into the second quarter.
Up by six at quarter time, Diamond Creek was proving to be the side reacting first to missed shots and picked up rebounds both offensively and defensively under the ring.
Diamond Creek broke their centre, but Greensborough goal attack Bianca Power was called for holding and denied a chance to shoot.
Diamond Creek wing defence Lexie Giannakos attempted to take an intercept but fell out of court with the ball. Greensborough settled their passing down the court as goal shooter Chantelle Power converted her shot.
A few contact calls throughout the latter stage of the term against Diamond Creek opened up chances for Greensborough to climb back into the game.
Still down by five goals at half time, Greensborough fought for every possession early in the third term.
A long goal by Bianca Power and another turnover on Diamond Creek’s centre put the Boro back to within two goals.
Greensborough tried hard to close the gap even further as they went in for another attempt.
However, Diamond Creek forced a held ball and was able to score off Greensborough’s centre pass.
A few passes went askew for Diamond Creek, but Greensborough was unsettled in attack and on multiple occasions required several attempts before being able to score their goals.
Just two goals behind in the final seconds of the third term, Greensborough turned over the ball but couldn’t make the shot in time before the buzzer sounded.
The Boro managed to close within one goal during the last quarter, before Diamond Creek upped the ante again.
The Creekers’ speed around the court proved decisive in the last term and despite being challenged, they were able to rally.
Diamond Creek finished with a flurry of goals to take the final margin out to five goals, with a scoreline of 30-25.
The side proving too strong for Greensborough finished the game with a final run into goals for the win.
Final score: Diamond Creek (30) def Greensborough (25)
ROUND 1 GRADING – HEIDELBERG 1 VS IVANHOE 1
A strong opening term help Ivanhoe 1 to an eight-goal win over Heidelberg 1 in the opening round of netball grading.
Ivanhoe led by five goals at the first break, before going on for a 37-29 win at RMIT University.
Heidelberg was first on the scoreboard, with a long pass into the circle finding goal shooter Chloe Meulenmeesters, who scored the first goal of the match.
Ivanhoe put one on the board soon after, before forcing a held ball and scoring from the next passage of play.
Ivanhoe goal shooter Suli Leota Lu struggled to put up her shot but then held onto a rebound and was able to land her goal second time around.
Heidelberg centre Lauren Jones looked to goal attack Lauren Spinks from the centre pass but she didn’t clear the line, allowing Ivanhoe to take the throw in.
Although a tough start, Heidelberg was able to apply better pressure as the quarter wore on to keep the Ivanhoe players on their toes.
A strong opening quarter for Ivanhoe shooters had their side ahead 12-7 at the end of the first term.
Tight pressure under the ring by Heidelberg defenders was still not able to deter the Ivanhoe shooters, who remained accurate throughout the second term.
Heidelberg’s pressure began to reap dividends as the quarter progress, with the Tigers able to turn the ball over on several occasions towards the end of the quarter to get within two goals at half time.
A step by Heidelberg goal attack Meulenmeesters was quickly recovered by the Ivanhoe defenders early in the third term.
Ivanhoe was able to hold possession despite fantastic pressure from Heidelberg defenders Emily Rowe and Mackenzie Blakely, along with wing defence Sophie Jones – who all made it hard for Ivanhoe to bring the ball into the goal circle.
The defensive work meant Ivanhoe’s attacking pair had to often look outside the circle for support.
Despite this, Ivanhoe didn’t panic when in possession and managed to extend its advantage to four goals at three quarter time.
A number of errant passes proved costly for Heidelberg early in the fourth quarter and resulted in Ivanhoe extending its advantage.
Ivanhoe’s attack moved fast down the court on transitions and was able to move easily along the baseline for goals.
Heidelberg goal keeper Rowe took a strong intercept in the final minutes and launched the ball forward as her side desperately scrambled for some late goals.
However, Ivanhoe was able to keep its lead and march on for an eight-goal win, 37-29.
Final score: Ivanhoe 1 (37) def Heidelberg 1 (29)
