Sale came close in Round 15 of Gippsland League netball.
The Magpies were neck-and-neck with Drouin, managing to keep the scores level at 19-all at the major break.
The Hawks came out of halftime with some newfound energy, shooting 12 goals to Sale’s seven.
Sale’s Emma Allman, Kasey Dessent and Teagan Harrison were impressive, but Drouin’s Lucy McKellar, Ella Henderson and Kelly Mills were even more so.
People often say the third quarter is where games are won and lost, and in this match, that was the case, as the Hawks managed to maintain their dominance to win 40-36.
In the Maffra versus Warragul battle, the Eagles were outplayed from the beginning.
Warragul, too strong a side, doubled the Eagles’ five shots for the first quarter, setting themselves up with a handy lead that they maintained.
Chloe Proud, Natalie Allman and Maddy Dalton starred for Maffra, but it was Warragul’s Renee Cook, Sienna Green and Naomi Allardyce who won the Gulls the game. The final score was 38-24.
Morwell fended off the high-flying Parrots.
Leongatha impressed last Saturday as they brought their very best to face the reigning premier.
With the Tigers sitting second and the Parrots third, this game was always going to come down to the wire.
Morwell edged away a four-goal lead from the first whistle until the first break. Leongatha was able to regroup and find some scoring power in the second, outshooting Morwell 12 to nine and then nine to eight in the third.
Lauren Redpath, Kate Browne and Nicola Marriott were dominant for Leongatha. At three-quarter time scores were Parrots 32 and Tigers 33. With one goal the difference, a huge final term was ahead for both teams.
Morwell’s best, Chloe Radford, Saskia Eenjes and Tanya Budge, took charge in the final quarter and kept the Parrots at bay.
The final scores were Morwell 42 to Leongatha 41.
Moe is unstoppable.
The Lions showed lion heart as they trampled Traralgon.
Moe came out of the gates firing, outscoring the Maroons 16 to 10 in the first term; the story stayed much the same for the next three terms, with the result a 25-goal victory for the Gippsland League leaders.
Moe captain Alex Moody, Jordan Pyle and Emma Sculley starred for the winning team. Traralgon’s Milly Murphy played well against her old side. Ashlyn Pavey and Matilda Van Berkel were notable even in defeat.
This Moe side will be hard to beat come finals time.
Wonthaggi got the job done against Bairnsdale.
It was a pretty even contest between the two sides, as the narrow Wonthaggi lead remained close throughout the first three quarters.
Powerful players for Wonthaggi were Olivia Gilmour, Courtney Brann and Chelsea Bowman, while Bairnsdale’s Anna Mooney, Sophie Bills and Charli Young were good.
The Power struck in the last term to seal the win. The final scores were 48-42.
Things are getting interesting in North Gippsland.
A draw, who would’ve thought?
The two top teams – Woodside and Sale City, showed just how tight the competition is at the top of the North Gippsland ladder when they both took home two points each.
Sale City had the jump on the league giants with a win in sight, leading 40-35 at the final break at Stephenson Park.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Woodside – no strangers to winning – found a way to claw the margin back and even equalise.
The draw means that positions on the ladder might be shaken-up, with Woodside having the potential to drop to fourth place, given they have a bye next week, while Heyfield and Churchill, currently in third and fourth, respectively, have an easier run home.
Heyfield got the job done against TTU, with final scores 47-33.
It was a valiant effort from the Bombers, who rarely make contests against them easy.
The Kangaroos have a chance to finish in top spot if they win their next two games against Gormandale and Cowwarr, and if Rosedale somehow manages to beat Sale City in the final round.
Rosedale thumped Gormandale in a 44-goal win.
The Blues, sitting fifth with finals in sight, will be focused on conserving some energy for the last game against Sale City, but also for a very competitive finals series.
Glengarry steamrolled through Yallourn Yallourn North.
The Jets couldn’t get off the ground as the Magpies swooped from the get-go. The final scores were 63-28.
Yarram faced another loss at the hands of Cowwarr, with the Saints dominating play to win 56-48.
Churchill had the bye.
In East Gippsland, Lidenow went home very happy campers after defeating Boisdale-Briagolong by a single goal.
The Bombers were favourites coming into the match with a home-ground advantage. Still, underestimating Lindenow proved to be fatal for the Bombers, as the Cats were able to finesse themselves into a winning position.
The Swans suffered their first loss for the season, as Wy Yung showed their dominance when they beat Stratford by 13 goals. The final scores were 48-35.
The Swans will have to wait until finals to get their revenge.
In the other games, Orbost Snowy Rovers defeated Lucknow quite easily in a 25-goal victory, 58-33.
Lakes Entrance also had a good win against Paynesville, with the final score reading Lakes 52 to Paynesville 36.
