An entertaining NFNL senior winter netball Section 8 clash between Kilmore 3 and Montmorency 4 at RMIT University ended with both sides unable to be split at the final whistle.
The Blues established a six-goal half time lead before the Magpies slowly pegged their way back to trail by just one goal at the final break.
A competitive final quarter followed, as neither side could break open the game. Montmorency would win the term by one goal, but it wasn’t enough to claim a victory as the final score read 23-23.
Rebecca Buckley had a big say in the Magpies’ second half performance. She scored seven of her side’s nine third quarter goals before scoring all six of their goals in the final term, finishing with 18 for the match, a season high.
For Kilmore, Tayla Harrison would top score for the match with 19 goals. Her seven goal second quarter helped the Blues gain control throughout the middle stages of the game. Ella Stoward also impressed in centre, being a key catalyst in creating attacking chances for her side.
It was an opening quarter for the goal shooters, with the position on both sides accounting for 10 of the 11 first term goals.
Kilmore would take a one-goal advantage into the first break before making their attempt to open the game up in the second quarter.
They would put through seven goals in the term with Harrison dominating inside the shooting circle. The defensive work of Sonia Cook and Sophie Stoward also kept Montmorency to their lowest scoring quarter of the game, as they registered just three goals.
The Blues led by six at half time, but their advantage didn’t last long as the Magpies came out firing in the early stages of the second half.
Led by Buckley, they would score nine goals to quickly close the gap. Their transition work was particularly impressive and despite still trailing at the final change, the momentum was all with Montmorency.
In a tense final quarter, neither side gave an inch, as the want to win every loose ball and force a turnover would increase throughout the term.
Both sides traded important goals, but Montmorency would go on to claim the extra goal necessary to force the first draw of the season for these two teams.
