Kongorong v Robe
Round 15 at Kongorong saw the quality side of Robe take on the young Hawks at home in solid conditions.
The Hawks got off to a great start, scoring the first centre and moving the ball quickly.
Emma Grant for Robe was on from the second the first whistle blew, while down the other end of the court, the Hawks defensive line of Riley Buckingham, Emily Lightbody and Ebony Lawson adjusted quickly to the Roosters quick movement.
With the Roosters working hard in the first quarter, they were able to capitalise well thanks to Demi Carter and Tori Gluyas’ accuracy in the circle, giving them a six-goal lead at the first break.
Grant for the Roosters and Tilah Buckingham for the Hawks battled hard in the circle in the second term, both at times being influential.
The Hawks settled in the term with Evie Sealey and T. Buckingham looking after the ball with accurate feeding from Jasmin McKinnon and Rach Perry, rewarding their side’s defensive efforts.
Halle Carter and Annie Hunter however turned it up another gear and the Roosters remained composed and displayed patience and skill through their mid court to push the lead out at half time.
The Hawks went into the third quarter with work to do, starting with Lightbody in Goal Keeper, who’s height proved crucial as she was able to get her hands to any rebounds and R. Buckingham lifted her work rate to see some reward from her pressure in the first half.
Lawson was crucial for the Hawks, maintaining possession and working the ball down the court, leading Kongorong into their highest scoring quarter of the game.
Down the other end of the court the Roosters defenders also found their groove with Ellen Ramke and Grant finding hands all over the court and capitalising on any missed Hawks’ shots.
Robe’s Carter and Gulyas gained confidence shooting 19 from 23 for the term.
R. Buckingham’s pressure progressively built and was well supported by Lightbody and Lawson down the defensive end for Kongorong, while Ramke and Grant did not ease up at the other end.
Despite the young Hawks improving game and attempts to limit the damage on the scoreboard, fatigue from Kongorong allowed Robe to finish the game scoring 18 to 6 in the last term.
The Roosters proved they were the more polished side and were able to maintain possession of the ball and play with speed and accuracy which ultimately seen them run away with the game.
Final score Robe 62 Kongorong 35.
Glencoe v Mount Burr
Glencoe took on Mount Burr in what was set to be a highly contested game, with both sides looking to bounce back after losses in the previous round.
Since their first meeting Mount Burr welcomed back Madi Haggett to its defensive circle and Chantelle Cocks being available in goals for Glencoe meant both teams were in good form.
The Murphies took the first centre pass and transitioned the ball with precision to get the first score on the board.
As the Mozzies went to start their campaign, their attack line was met by a clinical Glencoe defence with the combination of Sarah Edwards, Chloe Pfitzner, Donna Jaeschke and Chelsea Owen working to limit the Mozzies’ space.
The Mozzies had no answer to the immense pressure being applied to them, while for the Murphies any turnover balls were transitioned from defence to attack and eventually to post seamlessly.
The goalie combination of Jenna Paproth and Cocks showed early form, with the pair presenting strong options to make it difficult for Mozzie’s Haggett and Olivia Dean to have any impact.
With early work to do for Mount Burr, they re-entered the game after the first break having swapped Haggett to Goal Keeper in an attempt to limit the holding game of Cocks.
Captain Laura Schultz and speedy youngster Ella Easterby stepped up their output in attack to work the ball with increased patience and safety to work their way through the Glencoe defence.
Ebony Clark for Mount Burr also came out with a point a prove and used her experience against a younger opponent to become a dominant presence along the baseline.
Glencoe’s outer-circle combination of Jaeschke and Alice Tentye worked hard to provide strong drives down court and onto circles edge and fed into their goalies with precision.
Despite the efforts of the Mozzie defence, the safe handling by Glencoe did not allow much turnover opportunity and the Murphies again pushed out their lead by six goals, with the score 34 to 13.
The Mozzies again made a change heading into the second half with Maddie Gamble entering the game at Wing Defence and Simone Westerman going to the bench.
In a highly defensive quarter it took both teams time to settle. The first centre pass had plenty of back and forth with both teams forcing turnovers.
The Mozzie defence lifted and the height and strong hands over the ball by Haggett allowed her to get some much needed gain ball for her team.
Down the other end Edwards also got her hand to intercept ball to keep the contest even.
Some mistakes from both sides made for a scrappy quarter, with the Mozzies keeping with Murphies and pegging back their deficit by a goal.
Jaeschke and Tentye continued to cause headaches for Mount Burr in the final term as they found space and continued to feed into the circle with patience and accuracy.
Paproth increased her work rate and took on the heavier shooting load, scoring 11 of the 16 final term goals for Glencoe.
Clark continued to be the focal point of the Mozzie goal circle and Easterby did her best to be a reliable option and apply defensive pressure for her team.
However, the Glencoe defence continued to be a hassle and the Murphies ran out winners 60 to Mount Burr 34.
Hatherleigh v Nangwarry
Nangwarry had the first centre pass, but Hatherleigh turned it over and converted which set the scene for the quarter.
A changed attack line for Hatherleigh saw youngster Imogen Nowak at Goal Shooter.
Nowak and Demi Vanderhorst combined well and shot with accuracy while at the other end Maddie Redman, Elly Redden and Lara McGregor applied great pressure and got their hands to plenty making Nangwarry’s Hayley Vanderhorst and Cassie Dinnison worked overtime for every possession but despite the pressure they continued to keep strong and presenting.
Hatherleigh we’re proving too strong to be up at the first break 19-6.
The second quarter started scrappy for both sides. Numerous turnovers sent the ball up and down the court before any goals were scored.
Increased defensive pressure from Nangwarry’s Crystal Lock and Kayla Gray slowed down Hatherleigh’s movement of the ball into attack.
Passes had to be on point or were quickly intercepted by both defenders who were playing with increased intensity.
Nangwarry were getting a lot more of the ball, but unfortunately were unable to make it count on the scoreboard.
H Vanderhorst and Dinnison found themselves out of the circle on a number of occasions to combat the strong play of MacGregor and Erin Watson who were making life difficult for Scarlett Black and Brittany Dycer.
Interestingly if Nangwarry had been able to convert all their opportunities at goal in the second quarter, they would have outscored the Eagles, but at the main break Hatherleigh led 27-11.
The Eagles stayed unchanged but Nangwarry swapped H. Vanderhorst and Dinnison over to have both teams start the third with increased pressure, with all players working hard for the ball.
Nangwarry’s Gray stood strong under the ring for rebounds to help give her team more opportunities to score but Hatherleigh’s Watson read the ball well, pouncing on any loose passes while Rosie Nettle continued to feed the ball into attack with precision.
Nowak and D. Vanderhorst looked like they had been playing together for years, anticipating each other’s movements and backing each other.
D. Vanderhorst continued her high work rate putting in the second efforts down the court, pressuring the ball out of attack after any turnovers.
Nangwarry’s Dinnison worked hard out at Goal Attack and shot accurately, despite the very physical defence.
The Eagles looked like they wanted it more, chasing down loose balls and backing each other up to ensure they retained possession from turnovers.
Nangwarry made another change at the final break – swapping over the circle defence with Dinnison appearing to be relishing the move out to Goal Attack for the second half.
At the other end Gray had come out to Goal Defence and was providing great drive when coming out of defence.
Both Lock and Gray were making Hatherleigh’s Nowak and D. Vanderhorst move and work for the ball, picking off any passes that were not on target while Nettle and Watson had the better of Nangwarry’s Lyndall Feast and Dycer, who both worked tirelessly but were unable to curb the influence of the Hatherleigh attackers’ strong skills and high work rates.
Accurate shooting from Hatherleigh in the last saw the final margin 61-28.
Port MacDonnell v Tantanoola
In slightly damp but sunny conditions, Port MacDonnell took on the Tigers at home.
Port MacDonnell got an early turnover which they capitalised on, then scored their own centre pass, giving them an early small lead.
Considering the still weather, both sides missed goals early and took time to settle.
Megan Hein and Kori Collins were playing well and had the upper hand on the Tigers defenders Tayla Rowe and Kate Bromley.
Port MacDonnell Centre Kate Faint left the court with the blood rule with about five minutes to go, A Reserve player Cody Manning hitting the court for the reminder of the quarter.
This did not change the Demon’s momentum and they were up 14-8 at the first break.
The second quarter saw no changes from Tantanoola and saw Faint return to the court for the Demons where she had a good tussle with Kate Varcoe through the middle.
Tiger defenders Rowe and Bromley picked up their intensity and made things harder for the Demon goalies.
Port MacDonnell defenders Alana Berkefeld and Alysha Coon were giving their all, Berkefeld getting turnovers and creating more opportunities in attack for her team.
Demons WD Shannon Scheidl was also having a good game, creating drive down court and gathering any loose balls.
The Demons held a five-goal lead at half time, 23-18.
The third quarter was all Tantanoola as Port MacDonnell seemed to stop and the Tigers put their foot down.
They moved Emma Gould back to Goal Shooter and Jami Walker out to Goal Attack which had an immediate impact.
Gould was well supported by Varcoe in Centre and Casey Walker at Wing Attack.
Talented Tigers junior Bella Poulish was also having a good game at Wing Defence, getting her hands to many balls.
Tantanoola scored 18 goals to Port MacDonnell’s four, giving the Tigers a 36-27 lead at three quarter time.
In the final quarter, Port MacDonnell switched their captain Berkefeld from defence to Goal Attack and moved Megan Hein from Goal Shooter to Goal Keeper.
Tigers defender Bromley and Demons Berkefeld had a great contest and Hein was able to put the pressure on Gould to slow the scoring.
This was an even quarter, but Tantanoola’s brilliant third quarter had set them up to take the win.
In an entertaining and physical contest, it was the Tigers that came out winners, 43-34 at the final whistle.
