A thrilling A-grade netball contest hung in the balance with just seconds remaining between Wandin and Upwey Tecoma on Saturday with the Bulldogs escaping with a one-goal win.
A tight tussle throughout saw the sides separated by just three goals at the beginning of the final quarter, Wandin with their noses in front.
Within minutes their lead had doubled, thanks to the steady hand of Emmalia Blake.
Playing without any available substitutes, Upwey Tecoma needed to respond, and did with the next five goals of the contest, cutting the margin to one.
Tigers’ defenders in Bella Collodetti and Bethany Hosking began to double team Blake, both fronting her and having one defender check her from behind, presenting major obstacles for Maddy George and Lauren Spinks to find her under the ring.
After a handful of turnovers when throwing high passes, the Bulldogs were forced to change their approach to feeding their star shooter, playing patiently by feeding the ball back to create new passing avenues.
The reset in philosophy netted them another cushion of four goals, as Spinks began to shoulder more shooting responsibility at goal attack.
But the Tigers weren’t to be denied.
Despite taking a fall in the dying stages, shooter Mia Lui bounced-back to nail some huge shots down the stretch and keep the pressure on.
A clutch goal with 10 seconds left meant they needed to force a turnover and score quickly to force a draw and halve the premiership points.
Wandin did the first part of the job for them, called for a penalty at the centre pass that gifted possession back to the Tigers.
But as they made their first pass into the forward third, the siren blew to bring a contest to an end, much to the relief of the visiting Bulldogs, who finished 41-40 winners and kept their undefeated streak intact.
Lui and Jessica Black shared the shooting duties for the Tigers with 22 and 18 respectively, while Blake scored 34 for Wandin.
Despite her haul, Blake has lost her position at the top of the of the goalscorers list to Olinda Ferny Creek’s Hayley Howard, who scored 59 in her team’s win over Gembrook Cockatoo.
Needing to respond after losing the grand final rematch last week, a 22-3 quarter immediately put the contest beyond reach.
The margin grew at every break, from 19, to 32 at the half, 34 after three quarters and 43 at the final buzzer.
It’s the second highest team score of the season, just behind Narre Warren’s 74 in round five, which also came against the struggling Gembrook Cockatoo.
At Mt Evelyn, the Rovers held the all-powerful Narre Warren to their equal-lowest score of the season in a seven-goal win.
The Magpies, who average 58 goals per contest, were held to just 42 in their second loss of the season.
Mt Evelyn separated themselves from last year’s runner up with a 14-10 second quarter for a five-goal lead, and managed to hold their opponents at bay for the remainder of the contest.
Caitlin Hill and Rory Barr did the damage for Mt Evelyn on the scoreboard, whereas Clare Vearing shouldered much of scoring load for the Magpies.
A strong final quarter from Pakenham earned them a second win in three weeks, this time coming home with a wet sail against Monbulk.
With just three goals separating the sides at the final break, the Lions excelled in the last period with a 16-7 quarter to finish 50-38.
While finding herself at a height disadvantage against Peri Reid, Eliza Molino was fantastic in the defensive circle, throwing herself at shots and being as disruptive as she could.
Both Reid and Pakenham’s Rose Laidlaw scored 35 each for their respective sides, but the secondary scorers, in Leilani Pokia for the Lions and Jen Dewhurst for the Hawks, had markedly different impacts on the game, as Dewhurst could only manage three goals compared to Pokia’s 15.
In a low scoring battle at Edwin Flack, Beaconsfield got the better of Berwick 38-33.
The Eagles have now won two games in a row, needing to rediscover their early season form where they won their opening three contests.
The A-grade ladder makes for a fascinating study, with a clear distinction between the top and bottom five teams.
In fifth place is Olinda Ferny Creek, on five wins and two losses, while sixth place is Upwey Tecoma on two wins five losses.
Four sides, in Olinda Ferny Creek, Mt Evelyn, Narre Warren and Beaconsfield have five wins each, while Wandin remain undefeated on six wins and a draw.
Conversely, four sides are tied on two wins (Upwey Tecoma, Berwick, Monbulk and Pakenham), with Gembrook Cockatoo yet to taste victory.
