Roos hop to victory over Tigers

Roos hop to victory over Tigers

North Gambier
v West Gambier

The Roos mean business and despite not having star shooter Sarah Ritter at their disposal, got the job done over North Gambier.

Claire Hunter stepped seamlessly into the goal shooter position, netting 13 from 14 with Lisa McGregor also finishing accurately with seven from eight as the Roos made every post a winner in the opening stanza.

It was a dominance set up by the defence of the Roos though which kept North to only 12 scoring opportunities and were it not for the perfect finishing of Caroline Wakefield, the damage could have been worse.

Not only did circle defenders Jade Ritter and Amy Cram deny the Tigers frontline time and space, but the entire team refused to concede easy possession, working hard through the mid-court with Zoe Malseed and Tara Bryant also not allowing the Tigers feeders easy access to the circle’s edge.

The match settled a little in the second, although the Roos still had the better of the Tigers to enjoy a 14 goal half time lead. McGregor was the prolific scorer, with 10 from 12.

Wakefield continued to be a strong target for the Tigers in the second half, netting 25 from 27, but North just could not create enough turnover ball to eat into the deficit and when West shot a perfect 15 from 15 in the final quarter, there was no getting back.

The final margin was 12, even though the Tigers did win the final quarter by four.

Macey Griffith backed up her strong debut performance in round one for North with another stellar performance, while Wakefield was again her side’s best.

Tenielle Human made her Tigers A Grade debut and the talented defender certainly did not disgrace herself, especially taking on a slick West frontline and North will be keen to qualify the athletic circle defender despite her basketball commitments.

The scary thing is West is still building a new look mid-court and are arguably reaping the rewards of having given the likes of Zoe Malseed and Mikaela Horrigan plenty of time in the top grade in previous seasons.

South Gambier
v East Gambier

The reigning premiers have their first win of 2022 but it was not without a huge fight from the improving Demons.

Missing Sarah Lock, East elevated smart shooter Casey Horrigan and new recruit Renee Henke to the top grade to share the shooting role after having played A Reserve already.

With Tyne Bosko and Bo Creek back in the defensive line after missing the opening round, the Bulldogs would have been confident of having the firepower to take on South Gambier but the young Demons had other ideas.

The defensive combination of Grace Edwards and Imogen Walker played together as if they had been playing together for a couple of years – not teaming up for the first time – and the ball movement in the South frontline was also impressive as the Demons matched it with the Bulldogs in the opening stanza.

East’s lead was only two at the first change but a stellar second quarter, where Lara Munro was the key target in goals and in accuracy plagued the Bulldogs goalers and by the main break South had concocted a three-goal lead.

Weight of supply was also responsible for the Demons’ dominance, creating 23 scoring opportunities to 16.

It was an arm wrestle in the third as well with South taking a two-goal lead into the last although the signs were there the Bulldogs were coming with the ball spending a lot more time in East’s attacking third than the Demons.

In the final quarter, the script returned to pre-game predictions with the Bulldogs – led by the mid court dominance of Tarsh McCallum and Emily Hunter – settling and earning plenty of ball, with Amryn Bosko moving back to shooter and netting 12 from 14 to lead the reigning titleholders to a three-goal victory.

There were just too many errors from the young Demons as they moved the ball into their attacking third with Creek, Tyne Bosko and Morgan Amy pouncing on any wayward pass.

Learning to win will be the challenge for South Gambier, while for East, it is just a matter of getting wins on the board until the new line-up can spend some time together.

Casterton Sandford
v Millicent

Millicent looked ominous in its first round outing against South Gambier and nothing changed at Island Park as the Saints easily got the job done against the Cats.

The young defensive unit of Ebany Jarrad and Caeleigh Humhpries never gave up as they looked to limit the opportunities for star shooting duo Tabatha Sanderson and Demi Verbena, but the weight of supply eventually told as Paige Nitschke hit the circle hard and fed the ball with precision time and time again.

Nitschke and Verbena swapped roles at the half but the scoring avalanche and precision feeding continued, while at the other end of the court Portia McRae and Hannah Nitschke were making scoring difficult for Casterton Sandford.

Both sides showcased the rising talent in the competition, with Ivy Lane entering the match for the Cats in the final quarter for her A Grade debut and finished with a perfect shooting performance.

While the Saints had Daisy Tunkin run the centre who showed she is more than comfortable at the level, while Lauren Van Eeden made her A Grade debut on the defensive wing and Georgia Clarke had a turn in the defensive circle.

Scarlett Jarrad continues to lead the way for the Cats and she will welcome back some of the more experienced campaigners later in the season, while her influence on the young members of her team can only be positive as she shows great tenacity at both ends of the court.

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