By Marcus Uhe
A pair of major upsets from Emerald and ROC in the Outer East Football Netball A Grade netball competition has given Narre Warren a four-point lead at the top of the ladder.
Emerald prevailed over the red-hot Mt Evelyn by three goals in a huge 38-35 victory on the road, while ROC finished two clear of Wandin, 39-37.
In ending the Rovers’ 10-game unbeaten run, which included a win over Narre Warren two weeks ago, the Bombers held the netball powerhouse to their lowest score of the season in a grinding arm-wrestle in the rain.
It was the second term where the Bombers made their move, outscoring the Rovers 12-7 as Kaylah Loulanting found her shooting groove.
The Bombers’ patience was on show, denying Mt Evelyn possession and working the ball around the circle for Loulanting to find a better quality shot.
At the other end of the court, Mt Evelyn missed a handful of chances, and the Bombers showed their rebounding prowess.
The fourth quarter, however, saw the Rovers make a late charge.
Trailing by seven goals the start of the last quarter, Kaitlyn Black was back in the defensive goal circle for the Rovers and offered a new challenge for Loulanting to overcome.
Unsurprisingly, the defence tightened considerably, as the superstar shooting became quelled.
Mt Evelyn cut the lead to three goals with two minutes remaining, and at 34-37, the contest was there to be won by either side.
Emerald needed a goal, and looked to Loulanting for the breakthrough.
From the Bombers’ centre pass, they went back to their patient approach as they looked for an opening to feed Loulanting.
Loulanting and Mackenzie managed to initiate a switch for each other, and a moment of indecision from the Rovers’ defensive pair saw both players follow Mackenzie deep into the goal circle.
It left Loulanting with the opportunity the Bombers had worked so hard to achieve, and with the rain falling, she nailed the critical shot to halt the home side’s charge with 30 seconds remaining.
She finished with 31 of the 38 goals in a dominant display that keeps the Bombers in the hunt for a spot in the top six.
ROC, meanwhile, pulled off a similar feat against Wandin, it too keeping the Bulldogs to a season-low scoring total.
ROC led by as many as six goals in the second term against the 2023 runner up, before the Bulldogs mounted a fight back in the third term to snatch a lead.
Eight of the first 10 goals in the third term went into the Bulldogs’ net, returning from the half time break raring to go, but ROC steadied and combated the Bulldogs’ charge with six of the final seven of the quarter to force yet another momentum swing.
ROC’s run at the end of the third quarter gave them a two-goal lead heading into the final change, but two quick goals to Wandin to open the quarter returned the contest to level pegging.
A critical five goal run to ROC, however, proved decisive in downing the perennial premiership threat.
Wandin went on a three goal run of their own, but the final eight goals of the contest alternated, with ROC withstanding the pressure on the visitors’ court.
Isabella O’Shanassy nailed 23 goals for ROC in a standout performance, with Bella Heppell and Melanie Overdyk keeping Wandin powerhouse Emmalia Blake to just 24.
With chaos unfolding on the other courts, meanwhile, Narre Warren cruised to yet another victory to restore its one-game buffer at the top of the ladder.
The Magpies were never headed in the 24-goal win over Upwey Tecoma, thanks in large part to a dominant opening quarter in Erin Bell’s return to the starting line-up.
Bell shot 13 of the Magpies’ 15 first quarter goals, including a run of seven consecutively to open a six-goal lead midway through the quarter.
In true Magpies’ fashion, Narre Warren grew its lead at every break in the contest and finished with a dominant final term, its equal-highest of the match, showing no signs of mercy.
Former Pakenham defender Tenielle Morrell made her return to the court in her first game since round five, and Julia Kaitani continues to hold down a place in the defensive goal circle, impressing in her third A-Grade contest.
At Gembrook, Pakenham’s steely defence played a key role in claiming another scalp, this time in the form of Gembrook Cockatoo.
The Lions kept their hosts to a single-figure score in two of the four quarters, on their way to a 47-32 win, thanks to the efforts of Cainlin Cooke, Charlize Reid and Evie Drake.
Quick movement of the ball and forcing turnovers in the midcourt proved the key to their success, restricting the scoring opportunities on offer for the Brookers in what were difficult conditions.
At the other end of the court, Matt Cooke’s willingness to bring Charlotte Hudolin off the bench gives him a strong front-court trio of Hudolin, Rose Laidlaw and Kelly Cousins to rotate under the basket.
Berwick Springs’ difficult season continued in a 86-20 loss to Monbulk, and Woori Yallock comfortably defeated Olinda Ferny Creek by 37 goals in other contests.
