Kinglake 3 produced their third win of the 2024 Cleaning Melbourne senior winter netball season, defeating Laurimar 4 by nine goals in their Division 10 clash at Nets Banyule Stadium.
The game was in the balance throughout the opening half, with the Lakers leading by two goals at half time, before a 10-goal to three third term proved decisive in the context of the match, as they went on to finish 29-20 victors and return to the winners list in the process.
Kinglake now sit within touching distance of the top four with five games remaining, while the Power’s record moves to 2-6.
Olivia Turner-Dickason produced back-to-back 18-goal performances for the Lakers in the shooting circle and impressed in the attacking third throughout the match.
Amy Peters assisted with 11 goals of her own while Briony Dixon led the team’s ability to force opposition turnovers.
The Power’s Tayla Kneale performed admirably in the defensive effort and did well to ensure Kinglake had to work for their shots on goal, particularly in the second and fourth terms.
Meanwhile 16 goals from Tori Williams now makes it 65 goals in the goal attack’s last four matches.
The match began with a high-scoring opening quarter, as both teams combined to produce 19 goals, with Turner-Dickason and Williams each registering eight goals to help the scoreboard tick over for their respective sides.
After trailing by three goals at quarter time, Laurimar would win the second term despite a lower scoring period of the game.
Tayla Kneale had her best quarter of the match, as she played a key role in keeping the Lakers to just four second-term goals.
Kinglake were still intent on moving the ball quickly into their attacking circle and led by Kathy Carden at centre, were able to see their quarter time advantage only decrease to two goals by half time.
But the Lakers would fire on all cylinders throughout the majority of the third quarter, with Carden, Dixon, as well as Keeli Gibson shutting down many attacks forward from Laurimar.
Their tight pressure on the ball carrier allowed Kinglake to have possession of the ball for longer and resulted in an impressive 10-3 term to see them lead by nine goals heading into the final term.
Scoring again slowed in the last quarter with both sides producing four goals apiece, but it didn’t take away from a strong third term that proved to be the catalyst for the Lakers to claim victory.
Natale Gibson’s terrific game continued into the last for the winning side, with her defensive teammates also on song during the quarter. Meanwhile, Caitlin Smith was a highlight for the Power at wing defence.
