NORTH GAMBIER V WEST GAMBIER

It was the match of the round and North Gambier definitely came to play, shooting out of the blocks to take the opening quarter 17-12.

Mel Renko, Brianna Walters and Macey Griffith were working the angels well in attack to find shooter Grace Potts in space and the Tigers goaler converted 12 from 15.

It does not take much to spring the reigning champs into action and that opening quarter certainly did.

Defensively the Roos got back to basics and clamped down on their opponents, forcing errors from the faultless Tigers of the first quarter and reducing the amount of shots on offer as West slowly but surely worked their way back into the lead.

The defensive efforts all over the court were rewarded by Sarah Ritter and Lisa McGregor who netted a perfect 18 from 18 to take a one goal lead into the main break.

The Roos continued in the same vein in the third, making things tough with their defensive pressure, while still managing to work the ball into their own shooting circle with good precision as the scoreboard pressure mounted.

West won the third quarter 14-9 to take a six goal lead into the final quarter and they only built on that as the Roos again denied North easy scoring opportunities, while Ritter and McGregor continued to find space ad finish accurately.

In the end, the accuracy of West and the amount of scoring opportunities they generated told the story of the match and the final 59-46 scoreline.

After that dominant opening quarter from the Tigers, West kept the home side to 29 goals from 44 opportunities, while the Roos enjoyed a final three quarters that saw them convert 46 from 50 opportunities.

Tara Bryant was at her hard running best and her battle with Mel Renko was a highlight of the contest.

McGregor was also influential with smart positioning and accurate feeding, while jade Ritter and Amy Cram were relentless in their pressure on Potts and Macey Griffith.

Griffith did, however do a mountain of work, and continues to grow as a smart feeder into Potts, while still taking shots herself, while Renko was her side’s clear best.

Stella Mobbs took the wing defence bib for North in the absence of Lauran Norman and the Tigers would be hoping to settle their back court line-up as finals approach with injury, illness and player unavailability hampering their opportunity to put out a stable combination week in, week out.

MILLICENT V SOUTH GAMBIER

It was not a win but South Gambier could take heart from its Round 12 clash with Millicent, going down to the Saints by eight goals in a tight contest.

The match looked set to follow a familiar script in the opening quarter as the slick saints fond Tabatha Sanderson in space time and time again with the tall shooter netting 15 from 18 as Millicent worked tis way to a five goal quarter time lead.

Accuracy from South shooters Gracie Dalton and Alyssa Duncan kept the young Demons in touch, combining for 11 from 13 but the home side definitely looked in control and set for a comfortable win.

Missing defender Sophie Wight, South gave Mykaela Thiele the chance to take on Sanderson and thanks to some pressure on the feed from Tully McShane and Megan Reid, Thiele worked her way into the contest, restricting the Millicent goaler to nine goals in the second as South started to ramp up the defensive pressure.

At half time the lead was seven and in the second half, it was all about the defensive end of the court as scoring opportunities were harder and harder to come by.

South converted a perfect 11 from 11 and won the quarter by one, courtesy of some strong rebounding and turnover work from Thiele and Ellie Bouchier, and the match was well poised for an exciting final quarter.

Unlike the previous two rounds, where South has faded in disappointing fashion to see both East and North secure comfortable victories, the young Demons stayed in the hunt and while they could not make inroads into the deficit, they were able to keep the Saints on their toes until the final whistle.

Demi Verbena was a huge factor in the Millicent victory with her perfect ball placement, her leadership in the attacking third and her accurate finishing.

Portia McRae and Lauren VanEeden worked hard to win the ball back whenever the Demons threatened and as always, the Saints mid court were reliable.

Ellie Bouchier was influential with her ability to create turnover ball while at the other end, Alyssa Duncan continued her 2023 consistency as she took charge of the offensive end of the court for South.

McShane was also influential in providing pressure on the incoming ball and denying the Millicent feeders easy access to the circle’s edge.

CASTERTON SANDFORD V EAST GAMBIER

The Cats hosted the Bulldog at the weekend and while it was not the start Casterton Sandford was looking for, they did recover and a strong third quarter saw them work their way back into the contest in what was a much more even second half.

East Gambier have traditionally been fast starters and they brought that in spades at the weekend with a devastating 26-8 opening half.

Relentless defensive pressure was the foundation for the dominant first half and then slick ball movement ensured that dominance was reflected on the scoreboard.

Ambah Beveridge suited up for her second A Grade match in the absence of Renee Henke and she took full advantage of the opportunity, presenting strongly and taking a lion’s share of the shooting responsibilities.

She shot 18 first half goals as she battled it out with tenacious Cats defender Ebany Jarrad.

Casterton Sandford just struggled to find an easy path to their shooters in the opening half, with mid court pressure from Eliza Cole and Chloe Perryman creating much of the turnover ball, with Morgan Amy and Bo Creek dominating the defensive circle and not giving up an easy ball.

The Cats only generated 18 scoring opportunities in that first half, with East enjoying 42 shots on goal, so the scoreboard was always going to be lopsided.

Meg Smith entered the game for the home side at half time with the centre bib, moving Chelsey Galpin to the attacking wing, with circle defender Jarrad and Caeleigh Humphries swapping roles and the changes had an immediate impact.

The Cats won the quarter 11-6 as Madalene Cleary found more time and space in range and netted 10 from 12 for the quarter.

Smith and Galpin, along with her shooting partner Ivy Lane, started to use the ball more efficiently and refused to give up the easy turnovers of the first half.

It meant by three quarter time the deficit had been reduced to 13 and then the final quarter was basically a goal for goal arm wrestle as Casterton Sandford showed what their best netball can look like.

While Cleary dominated the third quarter, it was East goal attack Casey Horrigan starring in the last, converting 10 from 12, as East got back on track to record the 15 goal victory.