CENTRALS SNATCH UNLIKELY VICTORY – NETBALL

03 Jul CENTRALS SNATCH UNLIKELY VICTORY – NETBALL

They just won’t go away will they. Werribee Centrals come from the clouds to snatch a seemingly unlikely victory over second placed Winchelsea and have sent a very clear message to all prospective finalists. Facing a five goal last term deficit, the Centurions turned up the screws and rattled home with a stunning 14-6 final term to draw away and win 37-34.

In what had been a willing physical contest, Winchelsea had absorbed the typical Werribee pressure and gave it back in spades. Meg Royal was a vibrant force through the mid court for the Blues, linking up with defence and then working hard to provide patient feed to her shooters. Meg Goonan had also stood up in the tough contests, causing turnovers with her strong presence.

The defenders at both ends of the court were at their very best. Amanda O’Malley made life tough for clean delivery to the Blues star Melody Philpott, but she shot with great accuracy to make the most of the limited opportunities on offer. Ellie Tubbs was also forced to work hard at the opposite end, locked in a brutal physical battle with the Blues Kat Biscan. Tubbs did not shoot with the same confidence as her opposite number, but was able to win the majority of the rebounds and get repeat offerings.

The Blues were out by as much as eight at one stage in the third term, but Melissa Prismall and Natasha Dimkovski were able to win some vital ball late in the term and start to reinstate some balance in the contest.

With their belief returned, the visitors lifted right across the court and the defensive pressure went up a notch. Suddenly the Blues were rushed and panic set in. Their normal confident ball movement became stilted and erratic and Centurions sweated on the turnover. Prismall and defender Caitlin Hendricksen were superb through the middle and Tubbs and Jenny Rothery started to find more space under the ring.

With the scars of the agonising 2022 preliminary final loss opening up again, the Blues wilted. The loss won’t end the push toward a premiership that Winchelsea believe is within reach, but how they react individually and collectively will be interesting viewing. For the Centrals, faith is restored.

East Geelong survived a withering last quarter from Corio to hang on for a thrilling one goal victory, 35 to 34. The Eagles had methodically built up a five goal half time lead as Katie Seamer continued her improvement with more court time exposure and Jenelle Baker controlled the forward area from goal attack. The Devils were kept close by the superb work of consistent defender Danielle Sgarbi and the brilliance of mid court dynamo Molly Gribble.
Corio introduced Jordyn Fairchild into the game just before halftime and again her influence was immediate. She teamed superbly with Kailah-Mae Keepen and the pair were able to find space in between the twin towers of the East defence and shot with accuracy to slowly chip away at the lead. Chloe Rymer was putting the East attack under great pressure from her defensive wing and the Devils came hard in the last term. They hit the front and a massive upset loomed. The Eagles were able to steady and win back the ascendancy, as Baker and defender Claudia Cook showed their class to get the Eagles nose back in front at the final hooter.

Thomson rose to the occasion after their horror outing last week, cruising to a ten goal win over Inverleigh. The Hawks loss sees them slip back to fourth spot on the ladder and will now have a big challenge to get a finals double chance. Inverleigh struggled to cover the strength of Tigers shooter Cheyenne Philpott, who was skilfully fed by the silky Courtney Leith, on her way to a game high 32 goals. Emma Witham was also a standout in attack for Thomson collecting 26 goals in the 58-48 win. Riley Baker impressed again for the Hawks on her defensive wing and Melissa Whyte was a reliable link through the mid court.
Thomson are still in the finals hunt, but the next two weeks are vital games against teams close on the ladder.

Bannockburn are working into some eye catching form in the run home, smothering North Geelong 69-34. Lucinda Bubb delivered for her team again, dropping in 39 goals, with Ella Wasik shooting 30 in the perfect feeding role. The twin defence of Ellie Kennedy and Rosie Shannahan made life difficult for the Magpie shooters. Goal attack Shae Rowbottom tried hard to lift the Magpies and Cody Dixon worked hard in their mid court. Defender Taleea Drever was also impressive in the losing team.

Bell Post Hill have secured their much sought first win of the season over Geelong West. The Panthers were impressive right from the start, jumping to an eight goal quarter time lead and extending that to a 67-43 win.

The NAIDOC week netball clash between the Belmont Lions and Anakie was a one sided affair with the Lions still mounting a challenge for finals. Anakie fought hard to produce 35 goals, but the fruitful Lions attack scored freely themselves with 71.
Angelique Ross scored 58 of those in another superb display, but it was defender Anger Alec who impressed the hierarchy. Abigail Inglis put in another strong performance through the mid court, creating plenty of scoring opportunities.