A review of the Round 5 matches in Section 2 of the Northern Netball League.
Continue below as NNL reporter Danielle Tedford reports on the following matches:
– Whittlesea 1 vs South Morang 1
– Diamond Creek 2 vs Watsonia 1
DEFENCE THE KEY IN WHITTLESEA WIN
Whittlesea 1 cemented its place inside the top four on the Section 2 ladder with a tight win over South Morang 1 in Round 5.
Neck and neck the entire match, South Morang took to game to Whittlesea after half time, however its defensive play wasn’t enough to deny Whittlesea in the two-goal result.
Whittlesea was able to execute high and long passes with precision, while good communication skills between its players ensured the goals tally ticked over enough to secure its fourth win of the season.
Whittlesea coach Janine Oates said her side improved as the game went on.
“We started very slow but as the game progressed we moved faster and we came out with the turnovers,” Oates said.
“Our defensive pressure was excellent, we worked the ball in slowly. It’s always a work in progress but I have a lot of young girls who really withstood the pressure.”
Whittlesea GA Chloe Grimes was nominated by her coach as this week’s star player for her ability to work under pressure.
“It was a good but super physical game,” Grimes said after the match. “At the start we were trying to get a grip on how South Morang played, but once we started to play our own game and we gelled and worked as a team, that’s when things started to go our way.”
South Morang coach Lucas Bennett-Hullin said his side’s errant passing was a factor in the loss.
“It wasn’t a bad game, but our execution of our passes is what let us down,” he said.
“After any loss we work on understanding what we need to improve on. This week we needed to execute our passes a bit better, but I have a lot of new players that are really versatile with position and I look forward to developing them.”
South Morang WA Nakita Lastrina was a strong player, performing excellent interceptions and drive. She kept her WD chasing all night, with her speed enabling her to stay ahead in every instance.
Speaking after the game, Lauren O’Hehir, C and WA for South Morang, said “we had a great start but we just lost our heads. I’d like to focus on settling down instead of trying to catch up to teams that are faster than us.”
Final score: Whittlesea 1 (29) def South Morang 1 (27)
DIAMOND CREEK MOVES INTO TOP FOUR
Diamond Creek 2 overcame Watsonia 1 in the final minutes to leapfrog its opponent into the top four of the Section 2 ladder.
In a low-scoring and tight affair, Diamond Creek held its nerve late to win 16-14 in the Round 5 clash at RMIT.
Diamond Creek was able to apply one-on-one pressure very well in the second half of the match, with Chloe Lambert and Sarah Van Nieukerk able to work off each other and move intuitively from defence.
Centre Sam Taylor showed constant agility and was able to drive the ball down the court, as well as intercept passes, gaining turnovers for her side.
“It wasn’t our best game tonight. Although we got the win and we played strong defensively, our goalers weren’t quiet as accurate as we would want,” Diamond Creek playing-coach Tegan Hopkins said.
“We got the swing of things using triangle moves, but that came in the last quarter, instead of the first. (We’re) looking to improve this season on our goal shooting.”
Watsonia co-coach Rhiannon Maxwell praised her defenders for their performance in the narrow defeat.
“Our defence down the court was awesome tonight. We worked really well as a team and we’re really hoping for a premiership this season,” Maxwell said.
“It was a good overall game, we were going against strong defenders and a strong attack so it was good to go against such developed players.’
Final score: Diamond Creek 2 (16) def Watsonia 1 (14)
