Netball
17 June, 2024
Saints send message in dominant win over the Roos
The Horsham Saints sent a message to the rest of the competition, defeating premiership contender Dimboola by 33 goals at Coughlin Park on Saturday in round eight of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
The first quarter was tight with the Saints taking a one-goal lead into quarter time, but a 20 to seven-goal second quarter blew the game open as they took a 14-goal lead into half time.
They were equally as dominant in the second half, scoring another 37 goals as they won 70-37.
Ashlee Grace through the centre and rising star Maddison Bethune in goal defence were the standouts on the court with goal-shooting sensation Jorja Clode shooting 48 in the victory.
For Dimboola, Olivia Beugelaar shot 28 goals with Olivia Lehmann and Paige Glover their best through the centre and wing defence respectively.
Saints coach Jess Cannane said it was a tougher match than what the scoreboard showed.
"It took us a quarter and a bit to find our groove following the bye and we were able to get ahead and win, but it was a tough one," Cannane said.
"Credit to Dimboola. They are a strong side and there is a reason why they are sitting third. Their defensive end is strong and it made us work extra hard to get the result."
Ashlee Grace continues to get stronger and Abby Hallam down back has also impressed Cannane.
"It was nice to see Ashlee put four quarters of netball together and she is only going to get stronger as the season continues," Cannane said.
"Abby is finding confidence again and is continuing to get better and she is strengthening our goalie end which is great to see."
Thunder storm to 19-goal win over the Warriors
At Beulah Memorial Park, the Southern Mallee Thunder stormed to their third win of the season, a 62-43 victory over Stawell.
The game was tight early with the Thunder taking a one-goal lead into quarter time before a 15 to nine-goal quarter saw them extend the lead to seven at half time.
The Thunder were dominant in the third quarter, shooting 19 goals to lead by that margin at three-quarter time.
The last quarter was a formality as the Thunder ran out the game well to move into the top five.
Steph Thomson dominated with 39 goals for the Thunder with Rylee Cocks best on the court through the centre and Abby White solid in defence as always.
For the Warriors, Ebony Summers scored 23 goals with Madi Taylor and Jemma Clarkson their best players.
Thunder coach Steph Thomson said they are starting to find their groove.
"We had a good training session during the week and things worked well again on Saturday," Thomson said.
"We were able to get the ball flowing and rather than taking 10 passes to get from one end to the other, it was three passes which was good."
Thomson highlighted Rylee Cox and Abby White from the win.
"Abby just got intercept after intercept and she continues to play well down in defence," Thomson said.
"Rylee Cocks is making it hard for her opponent and is having an impact by deflecting the ball and picking up intercepts.
"It was also good to see Taya Horman and Nekeisha Bastin play well with the opportunities they were given and as younger players, didn't look out of place."
Warriors coach Jemma Clarkson said they fought hard but in the end found it hard with height.
"We managed to stay with them for a half and unfortunately for us, height wasn't on our side as they are a tall team and could combat both ends of the court," Clarkson said.
"Their skills were good and we were with them, but they made it hard for us and we had to work hard for the goals we scored and it wore us down and it just wasn't our day."
Rats push Tigers for four quarters
At Alexandra Oval, Nhill ran out six-goal winners in a tough contest against Ararat.
Ararat took the game on early and was rewarded taking a three-goal lead into quarter time.
In the second quarter, the Tigers scored 17 goals to eight as they reversed the margin to lead by six goals at half time.
The Rats came out hard in the third quarter, fighting hard, scoring 16 goals to 11 to trail by one at three-quarter time.
The Rats could sniff their first win of the season early in the last quarter, but the experienced bodies of the Tigers held firm to win 53-47.
Jesse Bligh scored 30 goals for the Rats with Demi Bligh and Kiara Davis also among their best players.
For the Tigers, Ruby James scored 34 goals.
Demons with a hard-fought win over the Eagles
At Anzac Park, the Demons had no trouble against the Warrack Eagles, running out 47-23 goal winners.
The Eagles showed fighting spirit early in the game to trail by five points at quarter time. The Demons started to get on top in the second, extending their margin to nine points at half time.
The Eagles continued to fight in the third, only conceding seven goals whilst scoring three themselves to only trail by 13 goals at three-quarter time.
The experience of the Demons proved too strong in the last, with the Eagles unable to hold them as they shot 15 goals to four to win by 24 goals.
Georgia Batson scored 22 goals for the Demons with Zarli Knight and Brittany Burns their best players through attack and defense respectively.
For the Eagles, Sarah Marchment scored 12 goals with their best being Jordan Heller, continuing her brilliant season in defence alongside Leiah McKenzie at wing defence.