Whittlesea 1 have pulled off a brilliant six-goal victory over Section 5 ladder leaders Fitzroy Stars 1 at Nets Banyule Stadium, boosting their finals chances as a result.
A massive 12 goal to four opening term help set up the 27-21 triumph, with the Eagles remaining in fourth spot with two games remaining in the 2023 winter netball season.
The Stars scored more goals than their opposition throughout the final three terms, but it wasn’t enough to avoid their first defeat since early June, although they do maintain top spot.
Whittlesea asserted their dominance early with a sneaky seven goal run and blew the score out 9 – 1 halfway through the first term.
Each Eagles player on the court were rising to the occasion, making the transition into attack seamless and steering to a handy eight-goal quarter time lead.
But momentum quickly shifted towards the Stars in the second term, as they kept Whittlesea to only two goals for the term, scoring six of their own in the meantime.
It was the introduction of Leah Seeto in the defensive end for the Stars that rattled the Eagles’ feathers, as she put her body on the line and was constantly on the hunt for the ball.
Her intercepting ability was picture perfect, getting plenty of gains throughout her time out on court whether it was in the defensive circle or out in the middle third.
With a four-goal advantage still intact heading into the second half, Whittlesea managed to grab control of the game again and illustrate the impressive traits that have seen them win consecutive games over the last month.
The Eagles were stunning in attack and defence. They had great closing speed and were able to get off their players while driving to circle edge, ready to feed the ball into their shooters who were sinking shots from almost everywhere.
The tireless efforts of Tahlia Brander had a big say in her side’s performance, as she was getting high up in the air on some taller shooters and winning back plenty of ball for her side. Her footwork confused the space for the Stars shooters, giving her a chance to roll into the backspace and get an intercept from the misfeed.
Rachel Kemp and Daina Peet were finishing off the hard work down the other end, combining for their side’s 13 second half goals to end the night with 17 and 10 goals respectively.
Their great rebounding ensured every missed shot would create another opportunity to add to the scoreboard, while the timing in the circle from the two shooters was clinical, blocking off any chance of a defender getting a hand to the ball.
Down by six goals at three quarter time, the Fitzroy Stars needed a big final quarter if they wanted to keep their winning streak alive.
