A review of the South Morang 1 vs Bundoora 1 and Diamond Creek 5 vs Northcote Park 2 netball matches from Round 11.
Section 1 Round 11 – South Morang 1 vs Bundoora 1
South Morang 1 kept its finals hopes alive with a 13-goal win over Bundoora 1 in Round 11 of Section 1 netball.
Sitting at the bottom of the ladder, Bundoora 1 came out fighting to try and put its second win on the board, but in the final quarters South Morang 1 lifted its game and scored its fifth win of the season.
The opening half was tight with Bundoora sitting only a couple of goals behind South Morang. The scoring efforts by GA Elly Castles were impressive as she shot 15 of Bundoora’s 20 goals by half time.
Despite Bundoora keeping close, it struggled to contain South Morang’s accurate shooters. GS Bianca Waligora and GA Karli Burns were fed the ball at a quick pace, allowing South Morang to put up successful shots from good positions.
The Comets struggled to pass into their scorers with as much ease. South Morang defenders Bridget Canals and Lauren O’Hehir placed too much heat on the ball, making it hard for the Comets feeders to pass off.
Ending the first quarter, Bundoora sat at 8 to South Morang’s 13. However the Comets remained calm under South Morang’s intense pressure, scoring the first two goals of the second quarter.
South Morang GD Paige Donker and Bundoora WD Rachael Furgai collided, with Bonker having to come off after the heavy contact. The Comets won the call but missed their chance at scoring.
Bundoora sat three goals behind at half time, however South Morang controlled the final half of the game as the Comets turnovers began to increase.
Bundoora battled to hold control in their third, with the Comets shooters forced to shot from range and unable to contain the South Morang defenders from picking up rebounds on missed shots.
South Morang shooters Tayla Hardiman and Bianca Waligora moved swiftly around the circle and were able to get in close and score goals, helping their side take a 34-23 advantage into final quarter.
Bundoora pushed hard in the final term, however South Morang remained in good form around the court and gave their shooters plenty of ball to ensure the scoreboard kept ticking over.
Final score: South Morang 1 (47) def Bundoora 1 (34)
Section 4 Round 11 – Diamond Creek 5 vs Northcote Park 2
Diamond Creek 5 jumped into fifth position on the Section 4 ladder after a narrow win against Northcote Park 2.
Low scores were kept in the first quarter as both sides battled to score goals. Tight pressure was put on the shooters, who were forced to look back on multiple occasions to pass off.
Diamond Creek sat in front 8-5 at the end of the opening quarter and started the second with the momentum, with its shooters working well together to put through quick goals and hold a lead.
Soon enough Northcote Park climbed back, passing long into their shooters Maddison Filev and Megan Walsh, who cut into their side’s deficit.
A defensive contact against Diamond Creek allowed Northcote Park to take the lead for the first time. However, it was short lived as Diamond Creek was quickly able to tie the scores at 14-apiece at half time.
Diamond Creek scored the first goal of the first term. After missing another shot soon after, Creek was able to create a turnover to take back possession and score another goal.
Filev made strong moves around the Northcote Park circle and was able to shoot accurately and rebounded well off missed shots to keep her side in the game, with only one goal separating the teams at the last break.
Northcote Park was fired up early in the last and scored to tie the game. They then pushed forward on a defensive centre, forcing a held ball and then scored to take the lead.
The speed of play increased as the game continued, however both teams also started to make some errors.
A foot on the line at a throw-in by Diamond Creek gave Northcote Park an easy chance at goal. But a rushed shot resulted in a miss as Creek took back possession and went forward to score.
The final term was goal for goal, with very little separating the two sides in an evenly-contested game.
The result came down to the final minute. Diamond Creek had the centre pass and threw long into their attacking circle. An obstruction call against Northcote Park allowed Diamond Creek’s GS to set her shot and score the winning goal with just seconds remaining.
Final score: Diamond Creek 5 (32) def Northcote Park 2 (31)
