Heidelberg West 1 have returned to the winners list in the 2023 senior winter netball competition, claiming a seven-goal victory over Kinglake 1 in their Section 4 clash at Mernda Central College.
The 25-18 result is the Hawks’ third win of the competition, their first since being graded into Section 4, and puts them within touching distance of the top four, while the Lakers still sit with just one victory this campaign.
It was a tight first half, with neither side able to be separated at quarter time, before a dominant third term pushed Heidelberg West to a nine-goal advantage at the final break.
The Lakers did well to limit the scoring in the final term, giving up just two goals to their opposition for the quarter, however they were unable to produce the same level of dominance to get back into the game on the scoreboard.
The connection in the Hawks attack line was fluid and it was clear what their game plan was. It was all about short sharp passes and not risking the cross-court balls, and when they did give off the cross-court passes, they were flat and hard, not giving the Lakers defence a chance to intercept as a result.
Heidelberg West playmaker Chloe Rowan was commanding space in her attacking third, at times it looked as though she had no player on her. Her speed and court smarts gave herself the confidence to just let the ball go into her shooters.
The Hawks shooters in Renee Hulls and Wilson Shane-Nikita had great court awareness in the air and on the ground. They were passing balls freely into the backspace and were doing sneaky bounce passes to each other that were catching their defenders off guard.
Despite the defeat, it’s been a promising start to life in Section 4 for Kinglake and with some winnable games to come over the next month, their rise on the ladder will be imminent.
Biljana Cvijestic was a stalwart in attack and defence for Kinglake. She was winning back the ball in the middle and attacking thirds while slotting the majority of goals for her side. As she started to gain confidence throughout the game, she started to shoot from further and further out from the post, still hitting her shots more often than not.
The Lakers’ ability to stay in the game for three of the four quarters came thanks to defender Lauren Watson. Her ball winning ability gave confidence to the rest of her teammates, giving Kinglake the best possible chance to make a final quarter comeback.
