We’re halfway through the Bendigo Bank EFNL Netball season as we say goodbye to round nine and say hello to all the sweet victories won on Friday night.
Division 1:
East Burwood Black 68 def Croydon 64
It was the game everybody was waiting for, the two undefeated teams of division one finally battling it out on the courts. The game went exactly how you’d expect it to go, extremely close and nail-biting. To say the least, this game did not disappoint.
At the end of the first quarter the Rams were up by two goals with a close turnover by half time in favour of Croydon by one goal. To nobody’s surprise there was another turnover with the Rams taking back the lead by the end of the third quarter by yet again only a singular goal. It all came down to this last quarter as we anticipated, to see if Croydon would either take back the lead or the rams fight hard to hold onto their advantage. The Rams did not falter as they fought with everything, pushing themselves to the absolute limit. While the Rams scored 21 goals in the last quarter, Croydon only scored 18, meaning the Rams walked away with the victory.
Belinda Williams played incredibly in the goal circle scoring 32 goals for the Rams assisted by Sarah Mulqueen and Ruby Klepac with 24 and 12 goals.
And while Genevieve Abbott was the star player with a total of 53 goals scored, it still wasn’t enough to get Croydon over the line.
Abbott has the most goals scored in division one with a combined 284 goals while Williams sits a close second with 278.
Other results:
Lilydale 58 def Heathmont 41
East Ringwood 55 def Ferntree Gully 38
Knox 49 def East Burwood Rams 42
Division 2:
Vermont 27 def Scoresby 21
It was a second-place vs fourth-place display in division two on Friday night with the game starting off poorly for Vermont. At the end of the first quarter, the Magpies were up by four goals but got too distracted with their confidence as the Eagles found this their perfect opportunity to swoop in and take charge by equalling out the scoreboard at halftime with 12 goals each. The Eagles didn’t stop there as they continued to dominate the courts scoring eight goals in the third quarter while the Magpies only managed to get three goals in. Although both teams scored a total of six goals in the last quarter it still didn’t make up for the Magpies already being behind by six goals, handing the Eagles the win.
Kara Morrison and Georgia Kann worked beautifully in the goal circle scoring 15 and 12 goals for Vermont.
Other results:
Warrandyte 35 def Oakleigh Districts 32
Croydon North MLOC 32 def The Basin 18
Coldstream 34 def Kilsyth 26
Division 3:
East Ringwood 30 def Mulgrave 28
There was another second-place vs fourth-place display on Friday night, however this game turned out to be different with the game continuously in favor of fourth place, East Ringwood. East Ringwood remained in the lead with a wide margin in difference in goals. However, it was the last quarter that got very heated as Mulgrave fought back for a chance to win. As they pushed hard in the attacking circle scoring 11 goals to East Ringwood’s six, it still wasn’t enough to get them over the line, falling short of three goals for a win.
Nikki Anderson, Grace Bain and Madison Hume collectively worked together in the goal circle scoring 15, 11 and four goals for East Ringwood.
Meanwhile Jessica Beardsworth was the main star of the night scoring 21 goals for Mulgrave.
Other results:
The Basin 26 def East Burwood 14
Lilydale 32 def Whitehorse 26
Montrose 28 def Glen Waverley 27
Vermont 32 def Kilsyth 26
Division 4:
Nunawading 24 def Park Orchards 21
A first-place vs second-place affair on Friday night saw the Lions and the Sharks fight to keep hold on the premiership favoritism. Only suffering a loss once this season, the Lions planned to make sure they wouldn’t leave the courts with another loss under their belt. While both teams had so much to lose, they both brought everything they’ve got to the courts. Up until the third quarter, the Sharks maintained a steady two-goal lead throughout the whole match. So, it was expected that the Sharks would half this lead and finish the game off with a win and keep their undefeated title. However, the Lions refused to go down without a fight and pushed up the competitiveness and bounced on the balls of their feet as they danced circles around the sharks in the last quarter scoring seven goals to the Sharks two, crowning the Lions winners.
Nunawading’s own Rebekah Breukers was the star on court as she scored an amazing 18 goals assisted by Maya Kolevich’s six.
Both teams now sit at an 8-1 record with Nunawading Lions in first place.
Other results:
Heathmont 44 def Silvan 29
East Burwood 23 def Mulgrave 21
Glen Waverley 38 def Ferntree Gully 16
Montrose 45 def Boronia 30
Division 5:
Chirnside Park 43 def Upper Ferntree Gully Blue 42
A second vs third place display in division five as both teams battle it out head-to-head in a very close game. Both teams sat at a 6-2 record meaning the game could’ve gone with way. the match started off with both teams finishing the first quarter at 12 goals each and only a two-goal difference in favor of the panthers by halftime. In the third quarter, the Panthers dominated in attack scoring 12 goals to UFTG’s nine. Heading into the fourth quarter there was a five-goal difference in favor of the Panthers. With a chance to redeem themselves, UFTG was given the opportunity to take the lead in the last quarter and while they gave it a good fight, they couldn’t overthrow the panthers and lost by only a goal at fulltime.
Tayla Ferguson was the highlight of the night scoring 32 goals for Chirnside Park, assisted by Tracy Cornish’s 11.
Nikeisha Grant and Jessica Ducat worked amazing together scoring 22 and 20 goals but only fell short of a couple goals for the win.
Chirnside Park overtook UFTG on the ladder and now they sit at second place while UFTG sit at third.
Other results:
Vermont 44 def Scoresby 18
Balwyn 43 def Upper Ferntree Gully Red 28
Ringwood 31 def Knox 18
Coldstream Red 32 def Coldstream Black 23
Division 6:
Boronia 21 def Ringwood 20
Another third vs fourth place display on Friday night promised to be another close game for the books. While the first quarter ended with only a one-goal difference in favor of Boronia, at halftime they doubled Ringwood’s score. A spark ignited under Ringwood as they stepped up both their defence and attack scoring seven goals in the third quarter to Boronia’s three. With only a two-goal difference it could be anyone’s game as both teams fought head-to-head in the last quarter. Only one team made it out victorious as Boronia walked away with the one-goal win.
Ebony Williams and Celeste Smith worked great in the goal circle together scoring 12 and nine goals contributing to Boronia’s win.
Boronia overtook Ringwood on the ladder and now they sit at third place while Ringwood sit at fourth.
Other results:
Glen Waverley 35 def South Croydon 14
Coldstream 38 def Kilsyth 14
East Ringwood 45 def Heathmont 14
Mitcham 34 def Montrose 11
Division 7:
Heathmont 24 def Waverley Blues 21
Another close game on Friday night as Heathmont and Waverley Blues fought for the win. At the end of the first quarter, Waverley was in the lead by one-goal but by halftime, Heathmont took the lead by four goals. During the third quarter both teams were neck-and-neck as Waverley Blues caught up to Heathmont and were only behind by one-goal. In the fourth quarter it was a chance for Waverley to redeem themselves, but it was proved they weren’t hungrier for the ball as possession was in favor of Heathmont leading them to a three-goal victory.
Both Skylar Browne and Beth Turner scored nine goals each while Sara Zachariah scored six goals for Heathmont.
Other results:
Coldstream 48 def Nunawading 5
Montrose Storm 45 def South Belgrave 12
Montrose Thunder 30 def Kilsyth 13
Division 8:
East Burwood 20 def Montrose 17
East Burwood and Montrose competed in a tight and nail-biting game on Friday night. This game had many on the edge of their seats as they closely watched who was going to walk away with the win. The match started off with a one-goal lead to Montrose. At the end of the second and third quarter it was a complete draw of eight goals then 13 goals each. It was all down to the last quarter. Both teams pulled out all the stops and while both teams deserved to win for their excellent fight in the last quarter, there was only one true winner and that was East Burwood walking away with the three-goal win.
Sasha Frolley and Meghan Watson contributed evenly to the scoreboard for East Burwood scoring eight and seven goals.
Meanwhile Casey Hahn showed an incredible display on Friday night with 13 goals of her own, it still wasn’t enough to push Montrose over the line.
Other results:
The Basin 36 def Scoresby 23
Mulgrave 33 def Waverley Blues 27
Ferntree Gully bye