North Heidelberg 5 returned to the winners list in the Cleaning Melbourne Division 5 senior netball competition, holding off an impressive Laurimar 2 outfit in the final quarter to prevail by three goals at RMIT University.
After producing a seven-goal advantage at both half time and during the final break, the Bulldogs were forced to hold on to their lead against a Power side who surged home in the last quarter with eight goals.
But North Heidelberg were able to find the net when it mattered and did enough to finish 28-25 winners.
The Bulldogs’ scoring was split by competition leading star shooter Josie Beattie (15 goals) and goal shooter Elise Pullybank (13).
Danni-Elle Eloff was another who had an impact on the result, playing multiple positions during the game in the midcourt, while Rhianna Yelland was incredibly influential in goal defence, and conceded just four goals to direct opponents throughout the match.
Bronwyn Capp did all she could for Laurimar and scored 12 of her side’s 15 goals in the second half to almost help her side produce a great comeback. She finished the game with 21 goals, meanwhile, Olivia Morales was another that stood out for the Power despite the defeat.
The match opened with a solid first quarter from both teams. Beattie and Capp were kept busy in the attacking circles for their respective sides and combined 11 of the 14 goals to come from the quarter.
It created a small two-goal lead for the Bulldogs at quarter time, with Laurimar being able to keep up for most of the term, but it was the second quarter in which North Heidelberg threatened to break the game open.
They produced a nine-goal term, with their transition work a particular highlight.
Defensive pair Elodie Williamson and Rhianna Yelland lifted their work rate to another level during the quarter and were able to restrict the Power to four goals, helping extend North Heidelberg’s lead to seven by half time.
But Laurimar responded well in the third quarter to not allow their opponents to run away with the match. Sheena Becker at wing attack and Eleanor Shephard at centre were terrific in getting the ball down the court quickly in an attempt to put the Bulldogs’ defenders on the backfoot.
With the help of the additional pace, Capp was able to make the most of her chances on goal and scored all seven of the Power’s goals in the third term.
North Heidelberg however were able to match the intensity and scored seven goals of their own to still maintain their half time advantage approaching the final term.
In one final push to reduce the margin, Laurimar impressed during the last quarter, and produced their highest scoring term of the game with eight goals. On top of that, they kept the Bulldogs to just four goals as they surged hard to turn the result around.
But as time wound down, the work that had been done in the previous three quarters proved to be enough for North Heidelberg to hang on to their lead and finish three-goal victors.
