Hatherleigh v Robe
The Hatherleigh v Robe fixture was set to be the match of the 12th Mid South East netball round and it sure did not disappoint.
The intensity was high from the start, with heavy defensive pressure applied all the way down the court from both teams.
Hatherleigh seemed to settle first in the physical game going five goals up at one stage during the first quarter.
Robe has had to re-jig its attack line after losing Tori Gluyas to a season-ending ankle injury which has seen Halle Carter step up and take the goal attack position which she slotted into perfectly.
The Roosters worked hard to pin back the scoreline and went into the break with a single goal lead.
Robe’s Carter and Sarah Laurie had a huge second quarter with both shooting at 100% accuracy, while there were key match ups all down the court which saw every ball tightly contested.
The home side welcomed back Maddie Pulmer who has a great connection with Abby Wight to give the home side a level up to enter the main break scores tied 25 all.
The key match-up between Lara MacGregor and Carter was tough, as neither player was willing to give up a pass or rebound.
Robe’s circle defence was able to gain turnovers through Emma Grant and Taylor Hunt which helped the side take the lead at three quarter time.
Galpin and MacGregor worked tirelessly to create opportunities for their side and when they did they were able to convert quickly through Wight and Vanderhorst.
Robe continued to push and step up the pressure as they held their nose in front.
Lucy Perkins provided her side with a great four-quarter consistent performance using her speed and working tirelessly to support her goalies.
Both sides continued to fight but small errors from the home side were quickly capitalised on by Robe as they held on to take the match by three goals.
Glencoe vs Nangwarry
On their home court Glencoe took on an undermanned Nangwarry side and sealed a big win.
The Murphies defenders came out with real intent, not allowing Nangwarry any easy transition into their attacking circle.
This pressure resulted in Glencoe scoring four goals before the Saints found their first scoring opportunity.
High defensive work rate from Chloe Pfitzner and Sarah Edwards kept the Saints to only three goals for the quarter, while Glencoe converted 16.
Despite Glencoe scoring the first three goals of the second quarter through a centre pass intercept from Edwards, a positional swap worked wonders for the Nangwarry side as Kylie Heaver took control of the Nangwarry attack and began to find the circle edge with ease.
But the Murphies’ goalie combination of Chantelle Cocks and Malinda Markiewicz began to find better connection to go into the main break with a 22 goal advantage.
Cocks lifted her work rate in the second half, utilising the space given to her to front cut into the circle at every opportunity.
Glencoe’s Ashlea Edwards and Nangwarry’s Taysha Marshall had a good battle on the wing, with both girls contesting hard for every ball. The move of Pfitzner onto the wing for the Murphies worked to limit the hard drives of Heaver.
However, Wilson continued to find space on the baseline and finish accurately for the Saints.
Markiewicz and Cocks continued to find the post and shoot with accuracy, while at the other end the long arms of Thompson came into play with any missed shots from the Saints being rebounded strongly.
Despite the efforts of the Saints, the Murphies continued to put the foot down and run home with a 26-goal quarter to finish the big 88-35 win in style.
Kongorong v Mount Burr
Round 12 at Kongorong saw the strong outfit of Mount Burr take on the young Hawks side.
The Mozzies got off to a great start shooting the first couple goals unanswered.
Heidi Clark for Mount Burr was on from the second the whistle blew, working hard with her drive and feeding with accuracy to goalies Sarah Nulty and Ebony Clark who were accurate under the post, together scoring 19 for the quarter.
The defensive line-ups for both teams have a real good crack across the court in the second quarter as Nulty for the Mozzies and Riley Buckingham for the Hawks battled hard in the circle.
But Laura Schultz and Heidi Clark turned it up another gear where their experience showed and the Mozzies led by the patience and skill of their mid court were able to push the lead out at half time with the scoreline 31-12.
The Hawks went into the third quarter with work to do and made some changes, but Clark remained the focal point for Mount Burr as she shot 11 of her sides 15 goals for the term.
Despite the young Hawks’ best efforts, Mount Burr was able to get a look at much more of the ball in attack which ultimately saw them run away with the game.
Port MacDonnell vs Kalangadoo
Kalangadoo faced Port MacDonnell for the second time this season and a brief sun shower before the start of the game made the court a bit slippery so players had to err on the side of caution.
Both teams came out firing at the start of the game looking to find early turnovers.
Demons’ gun Alana Winter paired up well against the returning Abbey Duncan while goal attack Brooke Williams shot with impeccable accuracy and moved well around the ring.
However, it was Kalangadoo’s excellent court transition that opened a two-goal lead at quarter time.
Despite Narelle Lewis’ strong drives and accurate feeding into the goal ring, Port MacDonnell’s goalies struggled to shoot and created many rebound opportunities for the Pies’ tall defenders.
Kalangadoo Under 17 player Sophie Wrightson fought against the Demon’s Liza Mutch and their battle through the middle was one to watch.
Kalangadoo’s experienced Kirsty Egan worked well with young Wrightson and the two were crucial in the attack line up.
Egan fed well into goalie Collins, who missed very few goals for the quarter to increase the lead to 17.
In the final term Kalangadoo’s Duncan was challenged by Winter and struggled to score, but this was no problem as young Collins could not miss.
In the end, it was Kalangadoo’s skill and fitness that held them over the line in what was a tough and skilful game.
