A review of the Northcote Park 1 vs Heidelberg 1 and Diamond Creek 1 vs Bundoora 1 netball matches from Round 4.
Section 1 Round 4 – Northcote Park 1 vs Heidelberg 1
Heidelberg controlled its Round 4 contest against Northcote Park, leading each quarter when the teams played at Parade College on Friday night.
Northcote Park fought until the end to lessen the final margin, but was outdone by the strong early work from the Heidelberg girls.
The opening minutes of the first quarter were low scoring and tight as the margin was only a goal difference, Heidelberg’s way.
The 3-2 scoreline would soon change as Heidelberg’s GS Magi Hollis got her eye in, shooting with great accuracy, while the Tigers’ mid court players Holly Oates in C and Lauren Jones as WA, fed the ball to the shooters to create opportunities at goal.
The Heidelberg girls broke away from Northcote Park and ended the first quarter with an eight-goal lead going into the second quarter.
Two quick goals by Northcote Park GA Dani Howe in the opening of the second quarter were soon matched by Heidelberg’s GA Lauren Jones, who was passed a long lob into the circle by WD Ashlea Melnikas and then scored again off a drop pass from GS Hollis.
Jones found gaps between opposition players to get quick passes to score and her shots from further out in the circle swished effortlessly into goals.
The third quarter opened with a goal to Heidelberg’s Maggie Hollis, who was moved into GA, to take the score out to 31-21.
Heidelberg was finding space all over the court and was able to move the netball down to its shooting third, as Northcote Park started to rush passes and lose possession.
After Heidelberg began missing shots, Northcote Park was unable to tighten the scores and headed into the final quarter just nine goals behind.
The Cougars’ hopes of a comeback were well and truly alive in the last term and they managed to cut their deficit to six goals with plenty of time left on the clock.
Things continued to go their way and more impressive play helped them move within four goals.
However, Heidelberg’s strong early play ensured their margin was too big to be hauled in. The Tigers managed to hold off Northcote Park in the closing stages to come away with a three-goal win.
Final score: Heidelberg 1 (40) def Northcote Park 1 (37)
Section 1 Round 4 – Bundoora 1 vs Diamond Creek 1
Diamond Creek defeated Bundoora by 33 goals at Parade College in Round 4, despite a close first quarter where they led by only two goals.
The Comets played tight defence and kept Diamond Creek down in the opening term, with the scores only reaching 4-2 in the first few minutes of the game.
Bundoora shooters Elly Castles and Emily Williams scored three quick goals in a row to tie the score at 6-all. The teams scored goal-for-goal for most of the quarter, but a few Bundoora errors allowed Diamond Creek to capitalise and take the lead.
Only two goals behind going into quarter time, Bundoora appeared to have just as much chance of winning the game as Diamond Creek.
However, the second quarter saw Diamond Creek race out to an eight-goal buffer. Shooters Kelly Sadowy and Stacey Gannon were strong and accurate, scoring from anywhere in the circle.
Bundoora lost the ball too many times while in possession as Diamond Creek defenders pounced on the rebounds and moved the ball to their end of the court.
Diamond Creek GD Melissa Whitten worked hard and read the ball well to take multiple intercepts, while WD Chylah Rogers backed her up to move the ball down to her side’s third and set up scores.
Diamond Creek started to run away with the game as Gannon and Sadowy scored 10 goals each in the quarter, taking the score to 31-15 at half time.
The defensive work by Diamond Creek remained tight as they forced pressure passes to be made by Bundoora, who began to lose the ball out of court. The Comets girls were feeling the heat and their passes lacked accuracy.
Despite Diamond Creek stretching its lead, the Comets girls never game up and tried hard to fight back.
They continued to create chances to score but the movement of the Diamond Creek girls when in possession was smooth and Sadowy scored goals almost effortlessly.
The final quarter began with Diamond Creek having a 45-25 advantage and they appeared unstoppable in the last stanza, piling on another 18 goals to run away with their third win of the season.
Final score: Diamond Creek 1 (63) def Bundoora 1 (30)
