ELLINBANK and District Netball Association grand finals were played in warm and later windy conditions at Cora Lynn on Saturday.
There were exciting games played in all grades, with players showing their skills and giving their all for the coveted premiership shields.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:A GRADE – BANKERS DOWN BUNYIP
AS if the blustery conditions weren’t enough for the goalers to contend with, the defensive pressure across the court was very strong from the outset.
The contest was very physical, with Bunyip taking a minor lead into the first break, six goals to four.
The second quarter started with Ellinbank controlling the centre pass.
An inspiring turnover from Bunyip’s WD, Renee Cook, was thwarted by Sam Hodge in Ellinbank’s last line of defence and the Bankers eventually converted their centre pass on the scoreboard.
Feeding into the goals was a little easier for Bunyip in the opening stages of the second, while Ellinbank had to work hard to get past Kirsti Handley and Jess Thomas.
A fundamental ‘breaking’ call against Ellinbank gave Bunyip another opportunity, only for Joey Gaul to come from nowhere to regain possession for Ellinbank and the impetus of the game shifted for Ellinbank to take the lead.
Feeding into the Bunyip goals became much more difficult as goalers, Sophie Cook and Claire Ablett, seemed to doubt themselves in the wind. On the other hand, Abbey Bowman and Amy Hodge were far more confident in the Ellinbank goal circle to double their opponent’s score for the quarter and take their team to a 14 to 11 lead at half-time.
Ellinbank opted for another mid court rotation for the third quarter, but no changes were made to the Bunyip line up.
Renee Cook suffered a painful injury to her mouth, but after receiving treatment, was able to continue.
Bunyip had a second injury time for the quarter, forcing centre player Deb Thomas from the court, thus allowing co-coach, Jade Dawes to take the court in the WD position after a mid-court reshuffle.
Bunyip seemed slightly rattled by the injury, but Sophie Cook kept a calm head to convert under pressure.
Ellinbank held a convincing 10-goal lead going into the last quarter and made another mid-court rotation, as did Bunyip.
The Bankers continued with three in a row before Bunyip had an answer and seemed resigned to the inevitable.
Another injury time for Bunyip saw Deb Thomas return to the court and Jade Dawes retire from the match.
While the endeavour by Kirsti Handley in Bunyip’s GK position was excellent, Bankers goalers did not falter and handed out a 13-to-four lesson to Bunyip.
While Bunyip gave their supporters little to shout about after the first quarter, Ellinbank was methodical in its usage of the ball and was simply far too strong all over the court for the majority of the game.
Umpires Steve and Esther Young awarded best on court to Ellinbank goaler, Amy Hodge who proved highly effective despite the windy conditions and the efforts of the Bunyip defenders.
Scores: Ellinbank 39 d Bunyip 20.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:B GRADE: CORA LYNN WINS CLOSE ONE
CORA Lynn raced to an early lead courtesy of some beautiful intercepts by captain, Sharon Kasper in goal defence, but then some errors in play cost them the lead as Stefanie Backman found the mark in Ellinbank’s goal circle.
Tight defence from Cora Lynn across the midcourt and some great direction from experienced shooter, Kerri Tilley, saw it regain the lead, and after a slow start from Kate Gosling at goal attack, she too found her ‘mojo’ and the goals started to drop.
At the other end, Ellinbank lost a little of its early magic in the circle and goals were harder to come by, despite some great work from Jessie Ablett at wing attack.
A tight, consistent quarter from the Cobras rewarded them with a four goal lead.
The second quarter was goal for goal, with both shooters doing the job.
As the wind gusts became more of a factor, the pace of the game changed to a slower, more deliberate game from the Cobras which gave them four goals in a row.
However, a determined Ellinbank rebounded to close the margin again to four.
The roar of the home crowd pushed the Cora Lynn to a six-goal lead by the final change.
A fiery start to the last quarter saw the Cobras push out the lead further with classy work from the goaling combination of Kerri Tilley and Kate Gosling.
Ellinbank became a little flustered, resulting in some missed opportunities.
Final Score Cora Lynn 49 d Ellinbank 42.
Umpires Robyn Gray and Selwyn Crick, awarded best on court to Cobras’ goalshooter, Kerri Tilley.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:C GRADE: BANKERS DEFEAT BULN BULN
BULN Buln began with the first possession and first goal, but it was Ellinbank that was first to break through to an early lead.
Inaccurate shooting by Buln hurt it badly as Bankers’ shooter, Paula Nicholas rubbed salt into the wound with accurate goaling for a 12 to eight lead at the first-quarter change.
Ellinbank flew off to a good start with midcourt turnovers and accurate feeding into the goal circle to see the lead blow out to nine goals, thanks to ferocious pressure from the Bankers’ defenders repeatedly turning the ball over and back down the court to their attack zone.
Buln began to apply pressure in the latter stages of the quarter and fed their goalers beautifully to close the gap to four at the half-time break.
Buln kept its momentum with Sam Ireland holding firm in goals to narrow the margin to one.
Fresh legs for Buln in Siahn Mapleson at wing defence repelled many Ellinbank attacking moves.
Later in the quarter Ellinbank found its second wind to regroup and extend its lead to eight goals by the last interval.
Going into the final quarter it seemed almost impossible for Buln to come home with the win, but it refused to give up the chase.
Ellinbank raced home and never looked like releasing its strangle hold on the premiership shield.
Buln suffered two separate injury changes during the final term, which did nothing to aid its plight and Ellinbank came home premiers and champions for season 2009.
Umpires Judy McHugh and Selwyn Crick, awarded best on court to Ellinbank’s goalshooter, Paula Nicholas.
Scores: Ellinbank 45 d Buln Buln 30.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:D GRADE: LANG LANG IN CHARGE
IN great conditions for netball, a little overcast and no wind, both Buln Buln and Lang Lang made nervous starts to the premiership battle and took time to settle.
Lang Lang’s ball movement began to hit the target with great passes in their attacking end and their goal attack, Sharni Blackney, providing great drives to the post with positive results on the scoreboard, giving her team a four-goal lead at the first break.
Buln began the second quarter with more determination, steadying its passes and applying increased pressure on the ball.
Lang Lang rallied with good defensive play by Kayla Wilson at goal defence and was rewarded with a burst of goals to retain their four-goal lead at the long break.
The third quarter began with Buln taking a little time to settle into its team changes.
Lang Lang applied added pressure throughout the court with positive results with both goalers moving, passing and shooting with great accuracy.
Buln struggled to keep possession and the entire Lang Lang team played more determined netball, chasing down the loose ball with enthusiasm.
With a 29 to 13 lead going into the last quarter, Lang Lang continued its positive work, keeping pressure on the ball with great intercepts by Bryoni Hardeman in the centre and Kayla Wilson.
Buln continued to try hard, but was unable to make inroads into the margin.
Umpires Judy McHugh and Steve Young, awarded best on court to Lang Lang’s goal attack, Sharni Blackney.
Scores: Lang Lang 35 d Buln Buln 21.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:E GRADE: THE GOON DOWNS BUNYIP
THE start of the game saw a tentative beginning from both teams, with Nar Nar Goon settling sooner and taking an early lead in a low scoring five-to-two goal first quarter.
Bunyip began stronger in the second to level the score, but the Goon kept their heads and produced several unanswered goals to take a six-goal advantage into the third quarter.
Bunyip again came out of the half-time break strongly and some accurate shooting from Natalie Fildes, moved from goal attack to shooter, helped to bring her team to within three goals at the final break.
As the game drew to a close, Nar Nar Goon asserted its authority and took control of the scoreboard, adding a further five goals to its lead in the final term.
Bunyip was praised for a valiant effort.
Umpires Esther Young and Robyn Gray awarded best on court to Nar Nar Goon’s talented goal defender, Taylor Beck.
Scores: Nar Nar Goon 27 d Bunyip 9.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:F GRADE: ELLINBANK ON TOP
ELLINBANK started well and took the lead over Poowong in the first half of the quarter.
Nervous play caused many turnovers and Poowong worked hard to bring the margin back to one goal at the first break.
Ellinbank started the quarter off well, focusing its attacking moves on their tall goalshooter, Heidi VanVugt. She did not disappoint and converted 11 goals for the quarter, whilst Poowong could manage only four.
With a convincing eight-goal lead, Ellinbank took the court confidently in the third quarter and extended its lead a further three goals.
Poowong fought hard all game and was rewarded with an even scoreline for the last quarter, but Ellinbank was the stand-out team, with the height advantage all over the court to take the 2009 premiership.
Umpires Kylie Wendt and Ben Dixon, awarded best on court to Ellinbank’s Tahlia Peterson for her efforts in the centre and goal defence positions.
Scores: Ellinbank 32 d Poowong 21.
