A great contest at Nets Stadium Banyule on Friday night saw Kilmore 1 secure their first win of the 2023-24 NFNL senior summer netball campaign, defeating Kinglake 2 by four goals.
After suffering heavy defeats in the first two games of the season, the Blues bounced back in Round 3 by leading at all three-quarter breaks to prevail 20-16.
While both sides won plenty of the ball to start the game, neither team were unable to convert their chances, making for a lower scoring opening term.
The defensive pressure from each side however was excellent and would set the precedent for the remainder of the match.
This was illustrated early by Kilmore duo Charlotte Milne and Paris Foster who stormed right out of the blocks to make their presence felt out on court. They covered a lot of ground in the defensive third and forced a lot of passes to be thrown out of court as a result.
At the other end of the court, Lakers defender Georgia Brown was a highlight for her team in the first half, as she looked determined to limit her opponent’s ability to gain easy goals.
The Blues led by one at quarter time but five goals from Chloe Marshall in the second quarter saw them extend their advantage to four goals by half time. Her elevation under the post was swift, as she was ready to pull in any ball thrown to her, while her split along the baseline was clean and clinical.
An even quarter in the third upped the ante. For a period of the quarter, it seemed as though every time the Lakers started to close the margin, Kilmore would fight back to retain a comfortable lead.
Melanie Gibson was terrific inside the attacking third for Kinglake, creating great space in attack while having good connections with her fellow shooters. She controlled the pace down in the attack end and was able to convert from turnovers.
Renee Wilson was also strong for the Lakers at centre and was a constant cog in both defence and attack throughout the game.
But the Blues evened things up again towards the end of the term to keep a four-goal advantage intact.
Both sides were right in the game throughout the final term, but the continued back and forth would eventually suit Kilmore, as five goals from each team in the last quarter was enough to see the Blues claim their first win of the summer.
