Reviews of Greensborough 1 vs Bundoora 1 and North Heidelberg 2 vs Ivanhoe 3 from the third round of netball grading.
ROUND 3 GRADING – GREENSBOROUGH 1 VS BUNDOORA 1
Greensborough 1 scored an 11-goal win over Bundoora 1 in Round 3 action of NFNL netball at Parade College.
The sides took to the court in an intense first quarter, where each centre pass was met with a tough contest for the ball.
Both sides’ defence obtained possession regularly in a first quarter that was largely a game of rebounds and intercepts in the shooting circles.
Greensborough took a small lead late in the quarter with a string of goals, however a final drive from Bundoora saw the Bulls close to within three at the end of the quarter with scores at 9-6.
With the ball in their third Greensborough made the first goal of the second quarter. Bundoora were left behind as stepping and replay calls held them back from scoring.
Charlie Seivers was having a great game for Greensborough and did well to marshal the Boro defence.
Chantelle Power and Lilli Florance worked well under the pressure of Bundoora’s defence to score regular goals.
Their combined work in the second quarter helped Greensborough push ahead to an 11-goal lead at half time, with the scores 20-9.
Bundoora rushed their centre pass and lost possession just out of the shooting third.
On one passage of play Greensborough struggled to score from multiple attempts, but wing attack Isabelle Conroy kept the ball in their hands with a turnover in mid-court.
A questioning decision on their centre pass left Greensborough chasing Bundoora into their circle.
The defensive work down both sides of the court forced players to make choices that put their team under a lot of pressure.
Greensborough shooters did well under the ring and were able to pick up rebounds to keep their side well in front at the final break, with the score at 28-15.
Unable to stop Boro shooters Bianca and Chantelle Power under the ring,
Bundoora’s attack made sure their passes were strong and effective when going in to score.
Greensborough opened a game-high 14 goal advantage in the last term, but Bundoora did well to keep working hard in the late stages.
The Bulls put in a strong fight throughout final minutes and were able to close out the game better to reduce the final margin to 11 goals.
Final score: Greensborough 1 (37) def Bundoora 1 (26)
GRADING ROUND 3 – NORTH HEIDELBERG 2 VS IVANHOE 3
North Heidelberg 2 and Ivanhoe 3 went neck and neck until the final whistle of their Round 3 grading clash at Parade College, with the Bulldogs clinging on for a one-goal win.
North Heidelberg scored an early goal, before its defence gave an offside advantage to Ivanhoe, who took the opportunity to score their first goal.
A break by North Heidelberg once again put the ball in the hands of Ivanhoe. Goal shooter Ava Cole struggled to land her penalty but was given a few chances as North kept moving prematurely.
The Bulldogs defence forced the ball further out from the circle and made Ivanhoe’s attack pass out to their defenders for support.
They had to reset their positions as they were struggling to move around the court freely from the tight defence.
Late in the term, Cole held the ball until North Heidelberg goal defence Sheridan Seekamp dropped and hit the shot right on the quarter time siren.
North Heidelberg centre Gabriella Menabue was called for delaying the centre and allowed Ivanhoe to advance to their shooters. However, goal defence Georgia Heayne intercepted the ball, to deny Ivanhoe a shot at the ring.
Ivanhoe led by four goals midway through the second term, however North Heidelberg’s defence made Ivanhoe shooters work tirelessly to get their shots in.
North Heidelberg goal shooter Jessica Gunther was fed the ball in the dying seconds of the quarter but rushed the shot and missed, leaving the score at 17-12 Ivanhoe’s way at half time.
After receiving a long at the baseline, Gunther started their second half with a goal.
Sheridan Seekamp then turned over the ball and brought it down once again for a second North Heidelberg goal early in the quarter.
North Heidelberg’s momentum continued throughout the following minutes, with the Bulldogs closing within one goal.
Ivanhoe was able to hold its lead until late in the term and had an opportunity to extend its lead to two goals late in term but missed the shot.
Ivanhoe in a last effort to stay ahead went up for a shot but missed.
North Heidelberg took possession and quickly took the ball down to its attacking circle, where an accurate shot tied the match at 22-22 at the last change.
The Bulldogs continue their fine play early in the final quarter and took the chance to squeeze ahead of Ivanhoe.
Their pressure in defence put Ivanhoe in a tough situation under the ring as they couldn’t escape the hold the defenders had on them.
However, Ivanhoe didn’t yield and managed to find their way back into the contest.
Scores remained even until the dying stages of the match, with North Heidelberg taking possession in the final stage of the game.
With 10 seconds remaining the Bulldogs put through the winning goal to claim a thrilling 28-27 come-from-behind win.
Final score: North Heidelberg 2 (28) def Ivanhoe 3 (27)
