Zaida Glibanovic

THERE is a new sheriff in town in Gippsland League netball.

Moe saw themselves surge to the top of the table after a massive win over Morwell in Round 12. Spectators knew they were in for a treat watching the two big cats battle it out for bragging rights and that first-place position, and boy was it a treat.

Nothing could separate these teams at the first break, with both at 16-all. In the second term, the Lions were able to convert on turnovers and took a 33 to 29 lead.

Scoring slowed down in the third term, with Moe shooting nine to Morwell’s seven as a result of an increase in defensive pressure; but it was of no concern for the Lions, who continued to outplay the Tigers well into the fourth, shooting 15 to their 13.

Chloe Radford, Saskia Eenjes and Tanya Budge were classy even in defeat, but it was Moe’s Macy Gardiner, Georgia Moody and Alex Moody who were crucial in the season-defining win.

 

MAFFRA still has yet to register their first win of the season after failing down to Traralgon in an eight-point loss. The Maroons got the jump on the Eagles from the first whistle. In the first term, the Maroons shot 13 to the Eagles’ six and in the second piled on another 13 shots to their eight.

The Eagles changed in the second half and outscored Traralgon in both the third and fourth, but the lead was too far gone to come back from.

The final score was Traralgon 49 to Maffra 41. Maroons’ Cassidy Smith, Bronwyn Tebb and Montanna Styles were recognised with best-on-court honours and so to were Eagles’ Chelsea Allman, Matilda Pendergast and Ashleigh Keefe.

 

IT was lights-out for Wonthaggi as Leongatha managed to shut the Power off with ease. The game was 12 goals all at quarter time but Wonthaggi must have used too much energy too quickly as they managed to score only two goals to the Parrots’ 14 in the second.

The third term saw the Parrots extend the lead to 18 while the Power clawed it back to 16 in the last.

The final scores were Leongatha 46 to Wonthaggi 30. Power’s best were Charlie Berry, Chelsea Bowman and Mia Plenkovich, while Leongatha’s best were Kate Browne, Lara Stefani and Taylah Brown.

 

THE Sunday ticket saw Sale find themselves 10-point winners over Bairnsdale. It was a close contest for the two sides in the first half. The Magpies found themselves after the major break and ran away with the win.

Sale’s Rachel Ronaldson, Dee Dee Lambert and Isla McCarthy were instrumental in the win, while Brielle Malady, Danielle Johnson and Anna Mooney stood out for the Redlegs.

Warragul had no trouble defeating Drouin in a huge 17-point win. Lily Sheehan, Renee Cook and Sienna Green starred for the Gulls, so did Ava Gaul, Karina Proctor and Ella Henderson for the Hawks.

 

IN North Gippsland, the divide between real premiership contenders and the rest of the competition became visible on the ladder.

The top team in Sale City is only one game clear, but nothing but percentage separates second, third and fourth in Woodside, Heyfield and Churchill.

Sale City have had an enormous 59-goal win over Gormandale. The Tigers never stood a chance over the Bulldogs side with final scores 93 to 34.

It was a similar story for TTU, who went down to Woodside by 40 goals. The Wildcats dominated all play, shooting 61 goals to TTU’s 21. Woodside’s Georgie Banik received best-on-court honours.

Heyfield showed the competition that they are a force to be reckoned with after defeating finals hopefuls Glengarry.

It was a tight contest all day with both teams having so much to prove, but ultimately the Kangaroos had an extra bounce in their step that got them the win over the Pies. The final scores were Heyfield 42 to Glengarry 39.

Churchill charged home with a 13-goal victory over another final contender in Rosedale.

The Blues have dropped off this season compared to their runners-up form of 2022; the Cougars were able to expose the Blues in all aspects of the game from early on in the match and continuously built upon their lead to win 55 to 42.

Yarram got their second win on the board after defeating Yallourn Yallourn North 45 to 39 in a very close contest. Cowwarr had the bye.

 

STRATFORD and Boisdale-Briagolong had the week off in East Gippsland, owing to the second week of a split round.

The Swans and Bombers will look to get back in action this weekend, as the finals approach.