By Wil Spence
Four hotly contested Preliminary Finals saw a couple of underdogs surge into the decider, whilst the first week of topflight play-offs gave us a taste of what’s to come.
Section One
Semi Final 1: East Ringwood Black 48 def Lilydale Falcons 42
Semi Final 2: East Burwood Black 67 def Croydon 63
No surprises came out of Section One with both favourites East Ringwood Black and East Burwood Black defeating their rivals, Lilydale Falcons, and Croydon respectively. East Burwood Black were pushed by the gallant Croydon leading by seven goals heading into the final period, with Croydon’s late run of goals too little too late. East Ringwood Black started off slow and Lilydale Falcons were ready to win. However, after the first period had ended it was all East Ringwood Black having a seven-goal lead into the final period. They will now take on Croydon for a place in the grand final against the model of consistency, East Burwood Black.
Section Two
Semi Final 1: Croydon North MLOC 31 def Scoresby Magpies Black 23
Semi Final 2: Coldstream Grey 25 def by Vermont Eagles Gold 26
Coldstream Grey probably came in as the favourites heading into the match based on ladder positioning. However, their two losses this season came at the hands of Vermont Eagles Gold. For a spot in the grand final both sides would not give an inch and were unable to be split heading into the final quarter, but it was Vermont Eagles Gold who held their nerve in the dying stages to win in a thrilling showdown between to fantastic sides. Ella Tweedale was important scoring 15 goals for the Eagles. Coldstream will now take on Croydon North MLOC who they have a good record against.
Section Three
Semi Final 1: East Ringwood Blue 31 def Vermont Eagles White 23
Semi Final 2: Lilydale Gold 31 def by The Basin Cubs 39
Lilydale Gold’s form was a little patchy heading into finals, and it showed last Friday night when The Basin Cubs booked their spot in the grand final by running away with an eight-goal win, in a ferocious match. Both sides were hard to split at the main break, but it was The Basin Cubs who bridged the gap of five goals heading into the final quarter which proved pivotal to their victory. The Basin duo of Jaymee Tough and Jessica Rousch were instrumental scoring 20 and 19 goals respectively. Lilydale Gold will now face East Ringwood Blue for a spot in the Grand Final.
Section Four
Semi Final 1: Montrose Flames 36 def by Heathmont White 43
An upset in Section Four, with Heathmont White defeating Montrose Flames by seven goals to give them a shot at Park Orchards Black this Friday night. Heathmont held a three-goal lead heading into the final quarter and scored a miraculous 18 goals to defeat Montrose Flames comfortably in the end. Duo Jessica Hall and Alexandra Pattison shared the load scoring 22 and 20 goals respectively and could be a force to be reckoned with.
Semi Final 2: Nunawading Lions Gold 35 def Park Orchards Black 29
Section Five
Preliminary Final: Chirnside Park Panthers 36 def by Upper Ferntree Gully Blue 43
Heading into the match, Chirnside Park Panthers held sway in the head-to-head battles defeating them earlier in the season by one goal. However, when the stakes were high, Upper Ferntree Gully Blue stood up when needed, defeating the Panthers by seven goals. Upper Ferntree Gully Blue had the game on their terms for the majority of the game leading at every break. Nikeisha Grant was influential contributing 26 goals in a timely display heading into the grand final. With a match-up against Vermont Eagles Purple, anything is possible, with both sides winning one match each between their two games.
Section Six
Preliminary Final: Glen Waverley Hawks Yellow 22 def Ringwood Black 17
Glen Waverley Hawks Yellow were given a life after finishing second on the ladder and made good use to it, defeating Ringwood Black by five goals. In a fierce battle with multiple lead changes, Glen Waverley Hawks Blue gained control of the match in the second half and were too strong for Ringwood Black. Bridget Mudge was terrific in front of goals scoring 16 of her own. They will now face Coldstream White in the grand final, who they are yet to defeat this season.
Section Seven
Preliminary Final: Montrose Storm 21 def by Coldstream Blue 32
In what shaped as one of the matches of the season for Section Seven, the game lived up to expectation with both sides neck and neck until the final quarter. Coldstream Blue held a two-goal lead heading into the final quarter and their momentum from the third quarter was too much for Montrose Storm to withstand, winning comfortably by 11 goals. The duo of Rebecca Jackson and Laura Atkins were fantastic in front of goals with 18 and 14 respectively. Coldstream Blue have had to do it tough winning both matches to advance to the grand final against Heathmont. Could the underdogs cause a major boil-over?
Section Eight
Preliminary Final: Mulgrave Yellow 26 def by East Burwood White 27
East Burwood White had to do it the hard way, but in a surprise upset they defeated Mulgrave by a solitary goal in an epic preliminary final. Trailing by six goals at three quarter time, East Burwood White could have given up but to their credit never gave up and played some amazing fast and attacking netball that was unmatched by Mulgrave holding on in a crazy finish. With Meghan Watson the star in front of goals with 18 goals.