A GRADE EAST GAMBIER V MILLICENT
When a grand final spot is on the line, things are always tough and uncompromising and that is how Saturday’s Western Border netball semi-final between East Gambier and Millicent turned out. No player took a backwards step as the attacking players tried to find space and the defensive players looked to shut the space down.
Ball movement for the most part was deliberate and slow as players committed to looking after the ball and they had to as any pass that was slightly off the mark was reeled in by the defensive players from the opposition.
In a see-sawing contest, East Gambier always had the edge as Tyne Bosko, Lisa Fyfe and Bo Creek wore their opponents like a glove, getting their hands to plenty of the ball for forcing errors. At the offensive end it was all about the drive of Emily Hunter and the angle work of Tarsh McCallum, who will relish the week off given her foot injury could do with further rest and the great timing and composure of Amryn Bosko.
When all of that is happening around Tenille Gray, who worked high up court and then took control in the attacking third as she worked the ball with her team mates until a good scoring opportunity emerged, it was a tough day out for the Saints defenders, who were not able to consistently apply the same pressure as the previous week when the two sides met.
Gray finished with an impressive 32 from 37, while at the other end, it was more a supply issue. The accuracy on the finish was there from Tabatha Sanderson and Demi Verbena, but the Saints attacking half just could not find enough flow as East disrupted their forays forward on many occasions.
The Saints threatened a number of times but each time they worked their way back to striking distance, East would lift again and extend the gap, eventually advancing to the grand final with a seven goal victory.
A GRADE WEST GAMBIER V NORTH GAMBIER
In the end, the damage was done in the second quarter and no matter how many times West Gambier challenged North Gambier in the A Grade 1st semi-final the Tigers maintained control and advanced to the preliminary final with a five goal victory.
It was the Tigers who got the better of the start, their defensive intensity from Noni McConnell, Maddie Whaites, Teneille Barry and Mel Renko, forced the West frontline into uncharacteristic errors but some late turnover ball saw the Roos fight back to be down four at the first change.
It was in the second quarter North set up the victory. The defensive pressure remained unrelenting and at the other end the pace and smarts of Brianna Walters and Ellen Brown worked the ball through the West defence to find star shooter Caroline Davey again and again.
It was the Tigers shooter’s most prolific quarter, converting 14 from 15 as North powered to a 14-goal half-time lead.
The signs were not good for the Roos who moved experienced defender Amy Cram back onto Davey and allowed Jade Ritter to run the front but it was not just at the defensive end the immediate improvement came.
The attack line started to show more patience and with the hard running of Carlee Davey and Tara Bryant to find the circle’s edge and the work rate of Lisa McGregor, the improved defensive effort and winning of more ball started to reflect on the scoreboard.
West whittled that 14-goal half-time deficit back down to single digits in the blink of an eye but then did allow some of those errors to creep back in late and North looked preliminary final bound at three-quarter time with a nine-goal lead.
Again, West was not so quick to give up on keeping their season alive and they made a few charges at the Tigers in the last, getting as close as four goals as Sarah Ritter dominated the quarter with 12 from 13 and at the other end Cram and Ritter rebounded strongly and thanks to outside pressure from Bryant and Nikeisha Facey and also picked up some critical turnover ball to try and bridge the gap.
In the end, the damage had been done and North advanced with a five-goal win.
