The top teams of the North Gippsland Football Netball League took to the court last weekend for the first week of finals, and as there are in all games, there were winners, and there were losers.
Thousands of spectators flooded Stephenson Park, Sale on Saturday and Gaskin Park, Churchill on Sunday for the first week of finals.
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and last week’s NGFNL attendance numbers might just be proof; having not played finals since 2019, the league reported the highest week one of finals attendance numbers in league history.
On the first day, Rosedale’s A Grade netball team tasted that sweet, sweet victory with a convincing 54 to 38 win over Glengarry.
As the sun shone above the court, illuminating the battlefield, the large crowd roared as the ladies from Glengarry and Rosedale took their positions; both teams determined to get one step closer to the North Gippsland League premiership.
Energy percolated on and off the court, and with the whistles blown, the battle began.
The game’s first-half was a tight battle with Rosedale and Glengarry seemingly shooting goal-for-goal, but as the match timer ticked on, the Blues tore away from the Magpies, putting themselves in a comfortable lead.
Both teams started the game with firey bellies, but as the match drew closer to an end and Rosedale furthered their lead, Glengarry’s flame waned, and it seemed Megan Garlic and Tiffany Boatman were the only two Magpies putting in a fight.
After 60 minutes, the ladies from Rosedale had done it; victory was theirs.
Rosedale’s playing coach, Sarah Mayman, was more than happy with the performance her team put forward in the Qualifying Final.
“I thought we played really well,” she said.
“We had a good game; we made mistakes, but we fought really hard to get the ball back, which is the main thing; it was really good.”
Demi Plunkett in wing attack was a fundamental player for Rosedale, feeding well into the shooters, and was named best-on-court for her performance.
Goal shooter Meg Gordyn and centre Carley Johnstone were also stand-out players for Rosedale.
It was a disappointing outcome for Glengarry, having drawn with Rosedale the week before in Round 18, with coach Pauline Little saying her Magpies didn’t play their natural game.
“We just had a game where we allowed Rosedale to dictate a lot of the play,” Little said.
“They did play strongly, and Rosedale is a very experienced finals team; they’ve won five Grand Finals in the last few years, and we are very new, quite a young team, not that experienced in playing A Grade finals.”
Belinda Winkler and Kayla Muller were best-on-court for Glengarry, working hard and holding their own in the defensive circle.
“I think our defenders really kept us in the game and gave us a good opportunity,” Little said.
Glengarry’s goal shooter Megan Garlic also had a distinctive presence on court with an unwavering effort from start to finish.
Rosedale will play Woodside in Rosedale tomorrow in the Second Semi-Final.
Mayman said the Blues were keen to get back on court for another good game.
“The last time we met Woodside, it was a really great game for us,” she said.
“They had been undefeated coming into our meet, and we got on top of them, which was really good.
“We are excited, we are keen to get back out there and have a good game, and hopefully, we can get that win.”
On day two of the North Gippsland Football Netball League Qualifying Finals, Sale City A Grade had a strong 52 to 32 win over Yarram.
Sale City coach Jae Schuback said her Bulldogs played competently against the Demons, with team-play an easy match highlight.
“I think we played really, really well,” she said.
“We played a great team game; that was the best thing from the game. We all combined and played as a team and supported and backed each other up really well.”
Sale City’s best-on-court was goal attack Charlotte Ronchi.
“Charlotte Ronchi shot the majority of our goals and shot at a really high accuracy,” Schuback said.
Sale City takes on Glengarry at Churchill on Sunday in the First Semi-Final.
Little is confident the Magpies have put last week’s game behind them and are focused on what needs to be done this weekend.
“We had a debrief, and we’ve moved on; it’s a new game, and it’s a different team that we are playing, very different to Rosedale,” she said.
“Sale City is very quick and fast and very accurate shooters, and we know that we need to control the tempo of the game.
“Both our goalers and Sale City’s goalers are very accurate, so it is very much about how many intercepts and turnovers we can get to ensure we get in front; it will be very tight.”
Schuback says her team need to focus on playing four strong quarters of netball.
“We need to ensure we don’t have a drop-off in that last quarter, really focusing on playing the whole game out,” she said.
“It will be a tight game; we have won one and lost one to Glengarry this season.
“Heading into the game, as a team, we will be trying to shut down their goal attack and their shooting ring; they are quite tall and agile and accurate, so as a team, we will be making sure we don’t give them many feeding and shooting options.”
The loser of the Rosedale versus Woodside game will play the winner of the Sale City versus Glengarry game in the Preliminary Final next weekend.
The winner enjoys a break before playing the Preliminary Final winning team in the Grand Final on Saturday, September 9, to be held at Gordon Street Reserve, Heyfield.
