Both sides entered the Blue Lake Sports Park clash without key personnel and in the end, a strong last quarter from the home side South Gambier saw the Demons record their breakthrough win for the 2024 season over a gallant Cats.
In a twist of fate, it was the Cats who had the strong final quarter in the two sides’ Round 5 meeting but this time round, it was the Demons who rallied to secure victory.
The visitors were missing their starting shooting combination of Chelsea Hulm, still sidelined due to injury, and Holly Smith, while the Demons were missing consistent mid court performer Tully McShane and utility Megan Reid, missing through illness.
As expected, the match was basically an arm wrestle.
The Cats’ new look shooting combination of Madalene Cleary and Caeleigh Humphries, who have spent some time together this season in the roles, looked strong early and were connecting well, Cleary delivering a number of long range balls to Humphries under the post, while South welcomed back Adelaide-based Alyssa Duncan, who happened to be home for the weekend, to cover the McShane and Reid absence.
Casterton Sandford also had to shuffle the defensive line, with experience campaigner and current A reserve player Sharna Fidler taking the goal keeper bib and usual defender Chloe Finnigan moving into the mid court – they also welcomed back a 2023 star in Tessa Marra, who produced a similar cameo to Duncan.
And both Duncan for South and Marra for Casterton Sandford, were influential, controlling their respective team’s frontlines, using their speed and smarts to find their shooters in space.
And while both sides have suffered from shooting inaccuracy from time to time, despite the worst conditions players have faced this season, all four shooters were relatively on song early.
The 13-all first quarter saw the home side missing only two attempts and the visitors only one.
The second quarter was also a goal-for-goal affair as Duncan found good connection with Ash Widdison under the post, to see her converting seven from nine, while the Cats were kept in the contest by some tight defending from Ebany Jarrad and Fidler, who created plenty of turnover ball, dominating the rebounding duels as well to ensure that at the main break, the visitors were one goal clear.
The Cats also narrowly got the better of the third quarter, as both teams were forced into error time and time again as the ball went up and down the court, often without a score and going into the last, it was Casterton Sandford with a two goal lead.
Presented with a similar scenario in Round 5, the Cats lifted a gear and secured a 10 goal victory but this time it was South digging deep.
Having been South’s best player all season, Ellie Bouchier, who had been the key creator of turnover ball all game, came up with some critical interceptions, Teresa Humphris collected some key loose balls and Mykaela Thiele took a couple of critical interceptions to ensure the scoreboard started to move in South’s favour.
Widdison was again the key target and she did not disappoint, while for the Cats, the issue was supply.
South enjoyed 16 scoring opportunities, while the Cats generated only seven and that was the tale of the tape when it came to the final three goal margin.
Cleary was outstanding for Casterton Sandford, while defenders Fidler and Jarrad earned plenty of ball for their teammates, while for the Cats, Bouchier had a huge influence on the final result, while youngster Gracie Dalton stood tall, Duncan’s leadership was key, Sophie Wight picked up some crucial last quarter turnovers and Humphris’ pace in the mid court was pivotal.
NORTH GAMBIER V MILLICENT
North Gambier secured a six goal win over Millicent at Vansittart Park at the weekend and the Tigers can thank, in no small part, the accurate finishing of their shooters.
The home side definitely got bang for their buck with the Kelly Lockwood-Macey Griffith shooting combination netting 52 from 58, including perfect shooting in the second quarter, where North set up their small buffer, and the frenetic final quarter.
Both sides were missing key players – North still awaiting the return of goal defender Lauran Norman and Millicent without star utility Edie Easterby.
That being said, both sides have depth in their A Grade squads and were covering the gaps with established A Grade performers.
Scores were locked at 11-all at the first break, with the Tigers just pushing ahead in the second to enjoy a four goal half time lead.
The battle between North goal defender Mel Renko and Saint Demi Verbena was already a highlight, while the mid court battles were also intriguing as Lille Paul and Lisa Duldig looked to stop the influence of Kaitlin Egan and Brianna Walters, while Daisy Tunkin and Ava Collins went head-to-head.
Millicent continued to challenge but just could not quite force enough errors from the Tigers to get on the right side of the scoreboard and with North winning each of the final two quarters, albeit by only one goal in each instance, the Saints ended up six goals in arrears.
The victory goes a long way to securing a top two finish for the Tigers and while winning is always preferrable, Millicent is still finetuning a frontline that has only been together now for three games following the return of Verbena, so would be pleased to have competed strongly with the Tigers.
And while the Saints shooters were also accurate, the Tigers finishing was outstanding, and with the scoring opportunities almost identical, that was a factor in the final wash up – it also meant that in form defender Portia McRae had limited opportunities to assert her aerial dominance and rebounding skills.
Griffth continues to be a huge factor in the Tigers’ 2024 dominance, not just with her accurate finishing, she converted 32 from 34, but also her work in transition and creative delivery to Lockwood.
Egan is also a key with her strong driving a highlight and complementing the ability of Walters to work in small spaces with her trademark finesse.
Paul had arguably one of her most consistent games for the season, doing a mountain of work at both ends of the court, while Duldig continues to make the wing defence bib her own, marshalling the defensive end and also playing a key role in turning defence into attack.
WEST GAMBIER V EAST GAMBIER
For the second successive week, sisters Lisa McGregor and Amy Cram have led West Gambier to victory as the undefeated Roos continue to dominate the competition, despite missing star shooter Sarah Ritter.
East Gambier came into the clash having challenged, without beating, top teams but the Roos, as they so often do, started strongly and by quarter time the lead was already nine.
Tahlia Bradley took the goal shooter bib and was strong at the post, while McGregor, as she has on many occasions this season, took up more of the shooting responsibilities to assist the Roos set up a 17-8 lead.
That lead, as much as the clinical offensive play, was set up by the smothering Roos defence, that only gave up nine scoring opportunities as Cheslea Tremelling, Cram and Mikaela Horrigan denied time and space to the East frontline.
Cram was celebrating her 400th game at West Gambier, joining an elite club that includes her sister Lisa McGregor and club stalwart Sally Povey.
A multiple Western Border Netball Association Team of the Year member, earning numerous club accolades and, of course, that precious 2022 drought breaking A Grade premiership, Cram has not just been one of the best players to ever don a West Gambier dress, she is a revered coach, outstanding umpire and hard working committee member.
The second quarter followed a similar script and by the main break, the gap was 17 goals.
East reconfigured its frontline for the second half, moving Malinda Foster to goal shooter, Renee Henke onto the attacking wing and Casey Horrigan into goals and while the changes did not eat into the Roos’ lead, it did somewhat stem the bleeding with the 11-8 scoreline definitely a better showing.
The final quarter saw the match return to the first half script, though, with Bradley dominating at the post with nine from 10 and McGregor having a perfect shooting quarter as the 20 goal three quarter time lead was extended to a final margin of 29.
Cram continues to be the premier goal defender in the competition and not only does she impact individually, she is the architect of everything that happens in the defensive third, while speaking of architects, that is McGregor’s role in the West frontline and in 2024 she has definitely increased her own shooting output.
She netted 27 from 32, including a perfect second half.
When you add a mid court that includes Jess Holmes and Tara Bryant, the Roos continue to be the clear competition pacesetters.
In the end, for East it was a story of supply and the West defence just continually forced them into error and created plenty of turnover ball.
Henke and Tegan Nunan were best for the Bulldogs.
