Netball Reviews – Round 4 Grading


Published on Monday, May 13, 2019

Author : Stephanie Smarrelli and Marisa Sopcic

Read match reviews of four matches from Round 4 of netball grading.

Continue below for match reports on the following fourth round matches:

• Diamond Creek 1 vs Heidelberg 1

• Northcote Park 1 vs Heat 1

• Greensborough 2 vs Ivanhoe 2

• St Mary’s 1 vs Laurimar 1

Round 4 Grading – Diamond Creek 1 vs Heidelberg 1
by Stephanie Smarrelli

Heidelberg 1 were unable to make the most of their opportunities with Diamond Creek 1 outplaying them for a 23-goal win in Round 4.

With the centre pass in their favour, a dropped ball saw Heidelberg concede the first goal to Diamond Creek, with the Creekers then taking advantage and scoring off their centre pass.

Heidelberg moved quickly to try to regain some control, however, their feeds into the circle missed the mark with miscommunication between players making it hard to find a target.

Creekers’ GS Kelly Sadowy had a strong start to the match, finding plenty of room in the goal circle to put up shots. It took the Tigers’ until roughly the halfway point during the quarter to score a goal.

Diamond Creek’s WA Brooke George came off during the quarter with an injury, however, made her way back on court in the fourth quarter. Replacing her in the first term at WA was Chylah Rogers.

At the end of the quarter, Heidelberg found themselves nine goals down with their passing hindering them from being able to score.

The second quarter started in a similar fashion to the first with the Tigers’ failing to take advantage of their centre pass as Diamond Creek’s GD Kiara Legg easily intercepted a stray feed into the goal circle.

The Tigers’ lifted a little as the quarter went on, with GS Lauren Spinks’ defensive pressure causing a held ball which she was then able to convert into a goal.

However, on the whole, the side continued to be plagued by mistakes such as stepping on the line with their throw-ins and being unable to find a path to the net.

Diamond Creek’s GA Stacey Gannon was a key player for the Creekers with her ability to find space and nail a goal from just about anywhere in the circle making the Heidelberg defenders work hard for every inch.

At the end of the first half, the margin had extended to 12 goals.

The third quarter was Heidelberg’s best with GS Spinks scoring all seven of her sides’ goals. Feeds into the circle from WA Sophie Jones and C Leah Keating were being put more to the advantage of their teammates making it easier to score.

Down the other end, GK Vanessa Rischitelli worked hard to turn the ball over, getting deflection after deflection, however, her efforts were often not backed up resulting in Diamond Creek keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

The continued pressure over the ball from the Creekers was impressive in the third quarter. In particular, C Kourtney Baird was influential coming away with an intercept and also making it hard for the Tigers to transition quickly down the court with her hands constantly over the ball.

Fifteen goals up at the end of the third quarter, Diamond Creek were ready to power home in the final quarter.

Heidelberg had some passages of good play, however, they were unable to make the most of their opportunities. GA Spinks took a good intercept however, they were unable to convert with a missed goal and contact call going against the Tigers.

Diamond Creek were impressive in defence with WD Chylah Rogers, GD Legg and GK Verhonda Smith comfortably picking off their oppositions’ mistakes to create turnovers.

A suffocating defence paired with a strong shooting circle and unified mid-court able to thread the needle between their opponents, resulted in the Creekers being able to outplay their opposition from start to finish.

Final score: Diamond Creek 1 (40) def Heidelberg 1 (17)


Round 4 Grading – Northcote Park 1 vs Heat 1
by Stephanie Smarrelli

A hotly contested match between Northcote Park 1 and Heat 1 saw the Cougars claim with a nine-goal victory.

A frantic first quarter saw both teams struggle to settle as a series of mistakes sent the ball back and forth.

Heat GS Crystal Phillips broke the cycle with a goal a few minutes in. Heat GA Amber Colin then nailed a long bomb to give her side a two-goal lead early.

Northcote Park quickly responded with their GA Taylor Old breaking free of her opponent to score a goal. Cougars WD Rachel Leach then nabbed a pick up off the Heat’s centre pass which Northcote Park then converted, before taking the lead with their next centre pass.

At danger of falling behind too much, Heat reacted quickly to level the scores again.

Northcote Park scored the final goal of the quarter with the centre pass theirs as the timer ticked down.

At the start of the second quarter, Heat were unable to fire, with Northcote Park WA Shannyn Werner stealing the ball with an intercept and then C Julia Olson providing a good feed into GA Belinda Coward, who slotted a long bomb.

Both sides then failed to find rhythm in the following few minutes of play.

Eventually breaking through was Northcote Park, who managed to find their way to the ring despite tight defensive pressure from Heat GD Cassie Wilcox and GK Sarah Glanfield.

By half-time the Cougars had pushed their lead out to five goals, however, the Heat were still very much within reach of their opponents.

The third quarter was physical with both teams pushing to get any possible advantage over their opponent.

Heat GD Veronica Cipriani wore Northcote Park’s GA Old like a glove, however, Old fought her way through the quarter to open up space for her teammates and guide the ball into the net.

Heat improved on their previous quarter, only losing the third term by a goal as the intensity reached a boiling point.

Northcote Park stormed home in the final quarter, with their mid-court finding more room to move as Heat seemed to tire.

A few stray feeds gave Heat some opportunities to score, however, they were unable to make the shots under the defensive pressure of Northcote Park’s GK Aimee Deacon and GD Julia Olson.

Centre player Hayley Rogers was particularly good for the Cougars, with pinpoint feeds into the circle and a strong intercept.

Although a little messy at times, Northcote Park simply outclassed Heat as the match grew more frenzied and were able to walk away with the win.

Final score: Northcote Park 1 (34) def Heat 1 (25)


Round 4 Grading – Greensborough 2 vs Ivanhoe 2
by Marisa Sopcic

A hard-fought match between Greensborough 2 and Ivanhoe 2 remained tight until the final term, with Ivanhoe holding on for a five-goal win at Parade College.

Turing over the ball early, Greensborough lost their first chance to score and handed Ivanhoe the first goal of the match.

Ivanhoe’s attack made strong leads down the court as their side moved the ball towards the circle.

Greensborough GK Ashleigh Weir worked well against two players, while GD Sarah Collard stood out of play, putting the pressure on each attempt at goal.

Boro GS Mia Sannholm used her height advantage to obtain a number of rebounds from missed shots, helping the Boro to extend to a 7-3 advantage.

Ivanhoe moved with pace down court and responded with the next three goals, before the Boro moved the ball forward to Sannholm, who just ran out of time to sneak in one last goal.

Ivanhoe began moving into attack much cleaner in the second term and forced several turnovers, which they capitalised on to even the scores.

Greensborough lifted to put pressure on every Ivanhoe pass, but then struggled with finding their own targets when the ball came their way.

Ivanhoe took the lead in the second term, but tight defence from Greensborough ensured the margin didn’t extend beyond a goal.

The ball bandied between both attacking circles, with both sides struggling to convert due to intense pressure in front of the ring.

A held ball by Ivanhoe sent them firing to their attack and placed them out in front 14-12 at half time.

Greensborough quickly tied the game with some quick goals in the first minute of the third term.

Ivanhoe recovered to reclaim the lead, before a forced held ball on Greensborough saw Ivanhoe GA Paris Bosschieter convert to extend her side’s lead to two.

Greensborough created a turnover in the mid-court and some cleaning shooting helped the Boro level the game once again.

Ivanhoe had a succession of centre passes and moved the ball cleanly to push ahead on the scoreboard – taking a three-goal lead into the final quarter.

They continued to lead throughout the last term as Greensborough lost possession from uncontrolled plays made down the court.

As the Boro desperately tried to close the gap, they began turning over the ball with long passes that didn’t reach their targets.

Ivanhoe did well in the final minutes to hold off any late comeback from Greensborough and remained steady to score a five-goal triumph.

Final score: Ivanhoe (32) def Greensborough (27)


Round 4 – St Mary’s 1 vs Laurimar 1
by Marisa Sopcic

St Mary’s held a comfortable lead after the first break in its Round 4 encounter over Laurimar 1 to score a seven-goal win at Parade College.

It was a tight start to the contest, with both sides evenly matched throughout the first term.

GS Ciara Hanlon timed her jump for a rebound well and put the Burra on the board with the first goal.

St Mary’s defence kept the Power at the top of the third, however the sides were both able to pick good passes into their attack and were level at 6-6 at quarter time.

St Mary’s C Jacqui Harrington passed long towards WA Kyra Athanitis at the circle, who fed into the shooters cleanly as the Burra pushed ahead in the second term.

Laurimar C Hayley Birch controlled a ball well, however her shooters missed their shot as St Mary’s moved coast to coast to begin to extend its lead.

Power GK Brooklyn Anderson read the ball well at the post but couldn’t get two hands on it to steal possession.

St Mary’s stretched its lead out to four goals, but also made some errors down court that gave the Power opportunities on the turnover.

St Mary’s GA Holly Gilbert worked well around the circle and moved into space right near the ring to score.

Her positioning and the rebound skills of both shooters kept them the Burra front at half time, 14-8.

GS Hanlon would wait for the drop of her defender before she went up for the goal, giving herself a clear view of her shot.

The third quarter was well matched across the court, with both defences able to turn over the ball multiple times throughout the term.

Power GA Chelsea Pearson was very accurate on the long shots from the edge of the circle. She and GS Rachel Kemp moved well together to keep their side in the game.

A strong finish to the quarter saw another turnover created by the Laurimar defence. The Power made one last run into the circle but were stopped by St Mary’s GK Jamie Demanuele who intercepted the pass inside the circle.

St Mary’s continued to lead going into the final quarter and held a six-goal advantage heading into the fourth term.

The Power scored the first goal of the quarter, before gaining a second of the next centre pass as they stormed back into the game.

Laurimar GD Mariah Craven took an intercept but St Mary’s forced a held ball.
The Burra then did will to hold possession to halt the momentum their opponents had built earlier in the quarter.

St Mary’s accuracy on goal in the final term ensured they were able to keep Laurimar at bay, closing out for a 30-23 victory in the final round of grading.

Final score: St Mary’s 1 (30) def Laurimar 1 (23)

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