Netball
12 August, 2024
Warriors and Thunder join Burras in share of fifth
The Stawell Warriors and Southern Mallee Thunder have now moved equal on points with Minyip Murtoa in a share of fifth, with both claiming wins on the weekend in round 16 of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
The Thunder defeated Nhill by 11 goals at Rainbow Recreation Reserve. The Thunder stormed out of the gates to lead by six goals at quarter-time before the Tigers brought the margin back to four at half-time.
The Thunder's 17-goal third quarter extended the lead by eight points at the last break, and another 13 goals in the last quarter saw them win 60 to 49.
Steph Thomson shot 39 goals for the Thunder, with Sydney Thorogood shooting 21. Codie Robins was best on court at wing attack, continuing her purple patch of form.
Ruby James scored 35 goals for the Tigers, and Courtney Hiller and Claudia McRae were among their best at wing attack and wing defence, respectively.
Thunder coach Steph Thomson said she couldn't be prouder of the girls.
"It was lovely weather on Saturday, and the girls came out firing, and I couldn't be prouder of them," Thomson said.
"I told the girls that we need to treat every 15 minutes as it is and enjoy it, and they are responding well.
"It was a physical game; we were patient with the ball in hand, controlled it well, and used it to our advantage, and all the girls played well."
Warriors win crucial match
At Anzac Park, the Warriors enjoyed a tough nine-goal win over the Warrack Eagles.
The Warriors came out hard in the first quarter and led by six goals at quarter-time, but the Eagles upped their game in the second and only trailed by four goals at half-time.
The Warriors blew the game away in the third quarter, scoring 13 goals to six to lead by 11 goals at the main break before running out 44 to 35 winners.
Warriors coach Jemma Clarkson said they spoke about how important a win was before the match.
"We talked about it a lot in training and just before the game how important getting the win was to keep our finals chances alive," Clarkson said.
"The girls really stepped up and fought hard, and the Eagles were no pushovers, playing for four quarters and playing hard.
"Lisa Considine was excellent in defence, working tirelessly, and just as the opposition gets a run on, she always finds a way to get a hand to something or create an intercept and does a fantastic job of leading our defensive end."
"Ebony Summers worked really well to make the front end run smoothly, and Meg Walker came on in the second quarter and played different positions in the defence end and really impacted the game."
Saints thrash Burras
At Coughlin Park, the Horsham Saints defeated Minyip Murtoa by 36 goals.
The Burras kept things close in the first quarter, with the Saints only leading by six goals at quarter-time.
The Saints blew the Burras away in the second quarter, scoring 22 goals to nine to lead by 19 goals at half-time.
Another 20 goals in the third saw them extend the margin to 28 before running out 78 to 42 winners.
Jorja Clode was on fire for the Saints, scoring 49 goals, with Abby Hallam chipping in with 29. Ashlee Grace was brilliant through the midcourt and was one of the best players on the court.
Kirby Knight shot 25 goals for the Burras, and Tamika Mentha and Taylor Forster were their best players.
Rats test Roos
At Alexandra Oval, Dimboola defeated a spirited Ararat team by 10 goals.
The Roos took an early six-goal lead at quarter-time before the Rats bounced back in the second quarter, taking the lead by three goals into half-time.
It was goal-for-goal in the third quarter, with the Rats fighting hard and the Roos reclaiming the lead by one goal at three-quarter-time.
The home fans could smell an upset and the Rats' first win of the season, but the Roos showed their experience in the last, scoring 14 goals to five to win 57 to 47.
Nicole Polycarpou and Maddison Marra each scored 20 goals for the Roos, and Indy Ward played excellent defense.
Sophie Cooper scored 27 goals for the Rats, with Laney McLoughlan and Natasha Noble their best on the court.