St Mary’s took a huge step towards a top four spot in Division 4 of the 2024 Cleaning Melbourne winter netball campaign, coming from behind to defeat fellow finals contender West Ivanhoe 1 by four goals at La Trobe Sports Stadium.
The Roosters led throughout the opening three terms and held one-goal advantages at half time and three quarter time.
But the Burra surged home in the final term with a nine-goal to four quarter, prevailing 30-26 to pick up their third straight win, and eighth triumph of the season.
St Mary’s still sit in fourth place ahead of their Friday opponents West Ivanhoe in fifth spot, meaning just one victory from their final two regular season matches will confirm their spot in the finals.
Niamh Pilatti’s season-high of 24 goals, which included seven goals in a pivotal final term, saw her have a major influence on the team’s victory
In saying that, it was a win that saw contributors from all over the court to help pull the triumph together.
Matilda Blakey and Caitlin Hocking were superb in the midcourt, creating some important defensive plays while eager to get to the ball first at each contest. Meanwhile, Clare Nicholls and Georgina O’Sullivan were also an important duo in the defensive end and had a big say in the final result with their work during the last quarter.
Meg Harper led the scoring for West Ivanhoe and finished with 24 of her team’s 26 goals, while Ruby Dunn was excellent at wing defence and was one of her team’s most consistent players on the night.
The Roosters were excellent to begin the match, hitting most of their shots and capitalising on turnovers, seeing them score 10 goals to lead by four goals at quarter time.
But the Burra would tighten up defensively in the second, as Nicholls and O’Sullivan got to work on limiting their opponent’s influence on the match.
Those efforts were rewarded, not only though West Ivanhoe scoring just four goals in the quarter, but also by seeing their side get back into the contest, as a seven-goal term made it a one-point ball game by half time.
Following surges from the two teams in the first half, an even third term followed, with both sides trading goals throughout the quarter. Both Pilatti for St Mary’s and Harper for West Ivanhoe were clinical in their respective attacking circles to ensure kept ticking for their teams.
The three quarter time margin remained the same as it did at half time, with eight goals scored apiece ahead of a crucial final term.
It was the Burra who kept their flow up in the fourth quarter, with their brilliant transitions across the court putting Roosters’ defenders on the backfoot constantly.
St Mary’s would pile on nine goals in the term, while keeping their opponents to a second straight four-goal quarter, setting up their terrific four-goal triumph.
