By: Jessie Hare
With the thought of finals beginning to creep up on us, the EFL netballers are producing some really strong and competitive games. The last round saw some great individual shooting performances which is vital come the end of the season.
Starting with Premier/Premier Reserve, Scoresby continued to set itself as a real finals contender in its four-goal win against Lilydale. Both ends of the court had strong goal scoring, for Scoresby Kelly had 30 and Bennett had 23 whilst for Lilydale Murphy had 26 and Luiyf sat on 24. Wantirna South Devils Reserves caused an upset when they defeated Mulgrave, 48-29, Smith for Wantirna shot 34 and Smith for Mulgrave for 20. It was yet another strong display by Fairpark as it defeated Boronia, 60-40, keeping its undefeated record going. Blackburn’s Domingo and Moore led their side to a comfortable win against Montrose, 49-28. Wantirna South Devils had a huge win against Norwood, Woodgate and Bates combining for 81 goals to Norwood’s 28.
Across in Division 1, Fairpark’s Williams and Leeson shot their team to victory against Park Orchards, 37-24. Forest Hill defeated Kilsyth, 43-34, Abbott scored a huge 37 for Forest Hill. Lead by Stanley and Black, North Ringwood came out on top against Scoresby with a 13-goal victory. A steady win for Knox against Coldstream, 28-28 and to close out the round, South Croydon defeated Heathmont, 33-27.
In Division 2, Kilsyth had the lead at every break in the match against Forest Hill, the Cougars came away with the win by just two goals. A steady win for Croydon with their goalers Dodd and Higgins leading the way in their 13-goal victory against Norwood. The Basin defeated Park Orchards, 45-28, whilst Lilydale got the points due to a forfeit by Wantirna Devils. Ferntree Gully remains in the top four despite a near upset from Ringwood with Ferntree Gully earning the four points by just one goal. Finishing out the division, Vermont remains in top spot after its win against Knox, 40-36, with Phillips having a huge impact shooting 31 of those 40 goals.
In Division 3, a top four clash between Whitehorse and Boronia led to a close one between the two sides. Boronia just got away with the win by two goals. Heathmont was able to just get away from Mulgrave in the final quarter in their win, 27-22. Scoresby’s big second quarter set it up for a win against Ringwood, 29-23. Upper Ferntree Gully remains in the top four after a comfortable win against Norwood, 36-12. A forfeit from Waverley Blues meant that Knox got the points for the game and Rowville defeated Kilsyth by 16 goals to finish out the round.
Looking at Division 4, Heathmont was led by the shooting of Capron in their close win against Coldstream, 28-25. Luiyf scored 22 goals of North Ringwood’s 26 for the game as they defeated Lilydale by 6 goals. Forest Hill defeated South Belgrave, 29-23. In the top of the ladder clash, it was Upper Ferntree Gully who got the four points against Ferntree Gully. Upper’s shooter, Hutchinson proving too strong with her 30 goals in their 33-25 win. Nunawading’s Farago’s 24 goals help her side to their 13-goal win against Wantirna South. Finishing off the round, Glen Waverley Hawks showed they are finals contenders in their win against Boronia, 32-19.
In Division 5, after a slow start to the game, South Belgrave warmed up after half time and came away with the win against The Basin by 1-goal. Norwood defeated South Croydon, 24-19 and Coldstream White remain in the top stop after their win against Wantirna South, 34-23. Heathmont’s P. Lesiputty shot 23 goals of her side’s 39 in their victory against Coldstream Black. The final game of the division saw Mitcham go away with the four points in its 10-goal win against Ringwood.
In Division 6, Nunawading caused an upset against Park Orchards, 28-11. Scoresby’s Rouda’s 22 goals led her team to its 26-17 win against Ferntree Gully. Norwood’s big first quarter set it up for a win against Knox, 27-23. Mulgrave beat Montrose, 28-20, with Mulgrave’s Bailey shooting 26 of those goals. Glen Waverley remain strong finals contenders after their 10-goal win against The Basin. Finishing out the round, Lilydale defeated Coldstream, 25-13.
Looking ahead, there are a couple of good match-ups throughout the seven divisions. A couple to look out for, in Divisions 1 and 2 both the away teams in Kilsyth and Forest Hill are looking to inch their way in to the top 4 if they can cause an upset. In Division 3, there is another top of the table clash, it’s between Heathmont and an in-form Boronia. If you’re wanting your netball fix head down to either Gloria Pyke in Dandenong or Oxley Stadium in Chirnside Park and support your EFL netballers.