By Josh Ward
Finals are nearly here and there were plenty of intriguing results across all eight sections in the penultimate weekend of the Bendigo Bank Women’s Netball Competition.
Section 1
Croydon 63 def by East Burwood Black 78
In a massive top-of-the-table clash at HE Parker East Burwood Black stamped their authority on Section 1 with a massive 15-goal victory. Whilst they only led by one goal at half time a massive 22 goals to 11 in the third quarter proved the difference on the night for East Burwood.
In a shoot-out of the two best goal shooters Genevieve Abbott won out with 48 goals whilst Belinda Williams got 43 of her own. The win locks up the minor premiership for East Burwood who hold a game and a half advantage in first with one round to spare.
Heathmont 38 def by Lilydale 55
Ferntree Gully 38 def by East Ringwood 52
Knox 50 def East Burwood Rams 40
Section 2
Oakleigh Districts 36 def Warrandyte 31
In a battle of the cellar dwellers of Section 2 Oakleigh Districts jumped off the bottom of the table with victory over Warrandyte, with a 12 goal to seven third term proving the difference. Christie Brinkhuis had a personal high 34 goals on the night whilst Rebecca McMillan continued her good run of form of late with 22 goals.
Scoresby 27 def by Vermont 40
The Basin 24 def by Croydon North MLOC 43
Kilsyth 27 def by Coldstream 31
Section 3
Mulgrave 20 def by Vermont 29
The Eagles are in the box seat to make finals following a crucial nine-goal victory over Mulgrave. Stephanie Issa played her first game of the season in Section 3 and had a game-high 24 goals whilst Rebecca Lawson added 16 goals to her tally. For Mulgrave the equation is simple: win and hope that either The Basin, East Ringwood and/or Vermont lose whilst for the Eagles all they need to do now is win against Glen Waverley to lock in finals.
Lilydale 33 def Montrose 23
Whitehorse 21 def by East Ringwood 33
Kilsyth 30 def by The Basin 42
Section 4
Heathmont 27 def by Ferntree Gully 34
A strong 10 goal to four final quarter by Ferntree Gully has seen them pull off a shock victory over finals contender Heathmont. The loss for Heathmont sets up a massive final round matchup with East Burwood, with the winner set to play finals. Jasmine Termorshuizen finished with a game high 21 goals whilst Heathmont shared their goals between Kaitlin O’Connor, Alexandra Pattinson & Jessica Hall.
Silvan 23 def by East Burwood 36
Mulgrave 22 def by Montrose 38
Boronia 18 def by Park Orchards 33
Glen Waverley 8 def by Nunawading 45
Section 5
Coldstream Red 31 def by Upper Ferntree Gully Blue 33
Despite being out of finals contention, Coldstream Red put up a strong challenge against finals-bound Upper Ferntree Gully Blue to only go down by two goals. Madison Carroll continued her terrific season in the goal circle with another 21 goals while Nikeisha Grant and Leesa Meldrum once more combined well in the goal circle, with Grant getting the most goals on the night with 18.
Upper Ferntree Gully Red 34 def Coldstream Black 23
Ringwood 16 def by Vermont 40
Chirnside Park 55 def Scoresby 18
Balwyn 39 def Knox 20
Section 6
East Ringwood 29 def South Croydon 27
East Ringwood managed to hold on and picked up their fifth win of the season against a South Croydon side who came charging home with a 10 goal to five final term. The win sees East Ringwood jump out of the bottom three whilst it puts South Croydon into second last. Lisa Baker had another starring role with 23 goals while Chloe Biddle had her first big shooting game of the season with 20 goals.
Montrose 24 def by Boronia 42
Coldstream 35 def Heathmont 29
Glen Waverley Hawks 31 def Ringwood 17
Kilsyth 24 def Mitcham 18
Section 7
Heathmont 33 def Waverley Blues 28
It was another top-of-the-table clash which saw the top side stamp their authority, and this time it was Heathmont. A massive 10 goal to four second term got Heathmont out to an eight goal lead and despite some resistance from the Blues they managed to hold on. Tara Dickson played her first game of the season and had 18 goals and combined well with Skylar Browne whilst Jasmine Psomas and Jamie Blewett scored 23 of Waverley’s 28 goals
Nunawading 11 def by Coldstream 56
South Belgrave 11 def by Montrose Storm 36
Montrose Thunder 19 def Kilsyth 18
Section 8
East Burwood 20 drew with Montrose 20
An absolute classic took place at Fairhills between East Burwood and Montrose, with East Burwood finishing slightly stronger than Montrose to end the game with a draw. Despite the draw East Burwood will still finish in a finals spot due to Waverley Blues’ loss to Mulgrave. Grace Sketcher had another strong outing with 17 goals along with Montrose’s Rebecca Keats who had 15 goals
Scoresby 37 def The Basin 32
Waverley Blues 28 def by Mulgrave 33
Ferntree Gully Bye