17 & UNDER – CASTERTON SANDFORD V EAST GAMBIER
East gambier got off to the perfect start in the 17 and under first semi final, setting up an early buffer of five goals on the back of some impressive workrate and accurate finishing from Ambah Beveridge but by the time the quarter time whistle blew the Cats had worked their way back into the contest and led by one.
Phoebe Carlin led the recovery at goal defence as she kept winning the ball back while perfect shooting from Ivy Lane and five from six from Chelsea Hulm rewarded Carlin on the scoreboard.
It was another tight quarter in the second with both sides transitioning the ball well and Lane was again critical for the Cats, netting 11 from 12 as she provided her team mates with a strong target, while Indi Dwyer was doing her best to keep East in touch, getting some important touches at goal defence.
After half time, it was the Cats who came out the better and quickly moved to a five goal advantage and the battle to watch was cats playmaker Indi Longhurst and tenacious east wing defender Keelie Neilson.
Neilson was at her tight checking best while Longhurst made the most of every possession delivering the ball with pin point accuracy.
The Cats again won the quarter but it was only a three goal game going into the last.
Both sides had their chances in the final quarter to set up a buffer and try and take the game away but turnovers from Cats goal attack Chelsea Hulm, who picked up two critical intercepts, ensured the Cats just had their noses in front.
Jordy Davis moved to wing attack in the last for east and her driving and accurate feeding was a feature of the Bulldogs final quarter but in the end, with Hulm also delivering the ball with precision to Lane, the Cats held on by two goals.
Lane was outstanding, shooting 35 from 38 in a best on court performance wile reliable defender Sarah Richardson was a rock at goal keeper.
East was best served by Abby Lines and Davis.
15 & UNDER A
WEST GAMBIER V SOUTH GAMBIER
Their previous two encounters were tight and the 15 and Under A first semi final between West Gambier and South Gambier was no different.
Yet to beat the Roos in 2023, South started strongly with good defensive pressure all over the court, and when they won the ball back, often courtesy of Kasey Sims, Charlie Attiwill and Ruby Milich worked the ball with patience into Shana Grassi and Graice Dalton, Grassi rewarding her team mates with nine from 11 in the opening quarter.
But while South enjoyed an early three goal buffer, West worked their way back courtesy of the hard running of Swaye Lindner and with Lila Pearson providing a strong target and finishing well, the Roos had a one goal quarter time lead.
It was another arm wrestle in the second and while South continued their full court pressure, Ella Jolley started to have an influence at wing attack for West, hitting the circle’s edge hard and feeding well into Pearson and Lara Murdoch, with Lindner also still influential through the mid court.
The Demons were still creating turnover ball and with Dalton working her way into the contest and combining well with Grassi and by the half time break the scores were locked away.
Both teams made changes at the main break with Miley Vivian taking the goal attack bib for West and Murdoch moving to wing defence, while South switched Milich into centre and Attiwill to wing attack.
The battle between Lindner and Milich was a wonderful glimpse into the future of these two players – both a small but speedy and more importantly, smart, and both played a key role for their team.
Vivian also made a difference in the shooting circle, shooting six straight and combining well with Pearson as West took a two goal lead into the final quarter.
West set up a four goal buffer early in the last as Murdoch picked up some turnover ball and Lindner and Jolley worked hard in transition to given Pearson and Vivian plenty of scoring opportunities.
But just as it looked like West might run away with the contest, the Demons ept fighting back before going down by three.
Pearson and Vivian combined for an impressive 15 from 17 in the final quarter to ensure West’ s season stayed alive, while after a slow start, Dalton was South’s best, converting 19 from 23 in the last three quarters.
15 & UNDER B
WEST GAMBIER V SOUTH GAMBIER
It was a tight opening quarter in the 15 and Under B first semi final and the hot favourites West Gambier would have been feeling the pressure, having not lost to South Gambier all season and having won all three games comfortably.
The Roos had a two goal quarter time lead but really went to work in the second quarter, winning it 18-1 to blow the deficit out to 19 by the main break.
Lila Pearson came onto goal shooter for West in that quarter and hit 16 from 18 to totally turn the contest, despite the plucky efforts of Grace Peucker and Scarlet Ryan, who tried desperately to deny Pearson the ball.
Libby Buck moved to the centre in that quarter as well for the Roos and her drive and pinpoint passing ensured Pearson had plenty of shots.
The third quarter was a more evenly contested affair with both sides defenders and mid courters applying relentless pressure, ensuring there were plenty of turnovers.
Holly Jackson was particularly dominant in the Roos defensive circle and she also rebounded strongly during the third quarter and by the final change, West was sitting comfortably with a 24 goal margin.
The Roos kept pushing in the last, with Ava Reid and Miley Vivian rewarding their team mates with some accurate finishing.
Jackson and Vivian were best for the Roos, who now advance to the preliminary final, while Lily Milich and Sophie Meier ran hard all day for South.
13 & UNDER A
CASTERTON SANDFORD V WEST GAMBIER
It took 10 minutes of overtime and in the end West Gambier was able to show enough determination and composure to secure a preliminary final berth with a six goal victory.
It was a scrappy opening quarter as the young players looked to shake off the nerves and the two defensive combinations were clearly on top as the Cats took a one goal margin into the first break.
West started the better of the two in the second quarter with Claire Hunte and Isla Lynch creating plenty of turnover ball early but some strong rebounding from Ylana Grigg and some tenacious chasing of the loose balls by Georgia Bailey and the Cats worked their way back into the contest.
Cats goalers Adele Murphy and Renee Gorman converted nine from 11 for the quarter, while a perfect five from five by Sara Richards saw the Roos stay in touch with that one goal margin at the half.
The third quarter was another full of errors as the defensive pressure from both sides did not let up.
Held balls from both teams were the order of the day as players struggled to find team mates in space and centres Marlee Robbins (Cats) and Ella Mckenny (Roos) were forced to do a mountain of work in transition and on the outside of the circle.
The injection of Claudia Vorwerk onto the attacking wing for West gave the Roos some good drive onto the circle and in the end, it was the fourth placed Roos enjoying a one goal lead going into the last.
Again it was West building the early four goal buffer but the Cats were not done with as Grigg and bailey continued to create turnover ball as the clock ticked down and it was an ambitious long pass to Murphy under the post that saw the Cats just beat the buzzer to force the match into overtime.
Lynch, who was clearly best on court with her ability to keep winning the ball back for the Roos, was pivotal in the tense overtime period and with Richards and Eva Povey taking on the long shots and converting, West started to build a lead.
Hunter also took a couple of critical rebounds and in the end the Roos kept their season alive, 39-33.
13 & UNDER B
MILLICENT V WEST GAMBIER
It was the first and last quarters of the 13 and Under B first semi final that set up Millicent’s eventual 17 goal victory over West Gambier.
Lindy Van Eeden was on fire at goal attack for the Saints in the opening quarter, netting eight from10 as she capitalised on the good work up the court being done by her team defensively.
Audrey galambos was impassable at goal keeper and were it not for the accuracy from West goal attack Hannah Jackson, the damage may have been worse – the Roos keeping the deficit to five.
The second quarter was still one way traffic for the Saints, with Jackson putting in a perfect shooting performance to again try and keep the Roos in touch.
But with mid courters Lottle Matthews and Prudence Johnson driving hard to the circle’s edge Van Eeden and Brydie Madden were afforded plenty of scoring opportunities and the lead was 11 at the main break.
The third quarter was tight and dominated by the respective defensive set ups, Galambos and Sophie Walker creating turnover ball for the Saints and Aggie Thomas, Molly Thomas and Ruby Lamb making life tough for the Millicent frontline but they just could not find easy connection with their shooters and it was a 12 goal game at the final change.
Van Eeden moved to goal shooter in the last and was the dominant player on court, converting eight from 10 as she did in the first, while the feeding from Madden and Sunderland was pinpoint.
In the end, the Saints advanced to the preliminary final with a 38-21 victory, while the Roos, who were best served by Jackson and the hard running Savannah Riddoch, have obwed out fo the premiership race.
