U19s – Zodiacs v Intruders

The first game of this week’s review was between the Zodiacs and Intruders.

With second place coming up against fourth place in the Under 19’s season this game was always going to be a great one.

The first half consisted of epic leaps of faith from the two sides with a fast pace up and down the court, especially from the Zodiacs side.

Zodiacs played well in the first half and were led by one of their brilliant shooters, Jas Poel.

Poel almost never missed a goal during the match, but when those shots did not work out, the rebounding ball would land in the hands of Intruders goalkeeper Tahlia Reed.

It almost seemed like Reed knew where the ball would land when the shot would not be made and always made herself involved in the game.

But the half-time score reached 16-10 Zodiacs’ way which was only a slight lead.

Poel – who had been playing in the goal keeper position for the first half of the game – then stepped into the position of goal shooter.

Despite being switched to the opposite end of the court, she scored a total of 33 goals in the half which was an amazing achievement.

Players who worked well in this half included wing attack Skye Sander, goal attack Aleshia Brook and goal defence Jess Stutley.

They all played big roles in protecting Zodiacs’ lead all the way until the final whistle.

Wing defence Neve Rossouw and centre Amy Papageorgios were great in their respective defensive and attacking roles for Intruders, but they could not stop Zodiacs winning 51-28 after a great display of netball.

U19s – Hobitz Blue v Saints

In the other Under 19’s contest Hobitz Blue was able to stay in touch with the top two by recording a solid win over the bottom-placed Saints.

The blue team proved to be an overwhelming force and controlled the fixture from start to finish.

The likes of Nevase Brooksby, Tayla Doody and Sari Mutton were all big factors in the team effort.

Despite Laura Dellorefice and Amy Wilke and the rest of the Saints side having a crack, they could not compete with the class of Hobtiz Blue which won 41-22.

It was Hobtiz Blue’s seventh win of the year and ensured only two points separates them and Zodiacs in second and third on the ladder and the fight for the top-two position appears to be a fascinating one for the remainder of the season.

B2 – Intruders v Vicis

The round of B2 games were headlined by a fiery match-up between Intruders and Vicis.

A few twists and tumbles in the game showed how tough Intruders can be.

Neve Rossouw played at a consistent and fast pace in the centre throughout the three quarters she played, being quick on her feet and always had the ball in their hands.

Like Rossouw, Intruders kept at that same pace nearly the entirety of the game, but Vicis were always quick to fight back and get the ball back in their hands.

Cara Day played a great game in her position goal attack, shooting many brilliant goals to boost the Intruders’ score.

Her efforts under the ring helped Intruders get off to a flyer and the score at half time was at 39-8.

It was a massive margin for the Vicis to level up on but their hopes of a comeback were hurt in the second half which was another brutal hit for them.

Intruders still played hard and although Vicis seemed as though they were trying to keep at the leaders’ pace, the difference on the scoreboard kept growing.

Jess Lawrie was the goal shooter for Intruders and she was a stand-out not only in this half, but the entire match.

She scored an impressive total of 46 goals, which was more than half of her team’s tally.

After a hard match for all, Intruders finished on top 76-22.

It was the perfect salute for Chloe Baker who achieved her 200 game milestone for Intruders and celebrated it in style.

B2 – Amazons v Zodiacs

Despite maintaining its unbeaten season so far, Amazons was forced to work for the win against a spirited Zodiacs.

The Amazons’ shooters were forced to work for every goal in a low-scoring contest in the chilly air at Olympic Park.

But eventually the class of the ladder leaders shone through and they were able to gradually build a lead across the match.

Amazons scored their 14th win from 14 attempts, but only after a hard-fought game.

B2 – Saints v Hobitz

The closest B2 game of the round was between Saints and Hobitz.

With both sides in the thick of the top four a tight contest was expected and both rivals went at the ball hard.

But the key moments tended to fall Hobitz’ way and the blue and red team managed to edge its way to a 40-26 triumph.

It was a huge upset with the victorious team Hobitz sitting fourth with half of the total premiership points the second placed Saints possess, but it shows how tight the MGNA season is.