By Marcus Uhe
Narre Warren’s second loss of the season in the Outer East Football Netball’s A Grade netball competition has laid the foundation for an intriguing set of showdowns against its bogey side Mt Evelyn throughout September.
Mt Evelyn spoiled the party for Magpies captain Brittany Mashado’s 300th game in a 50-34 win at Kalora Park, solidifying a top-two spot and joining the Magpies with a week off in the first round of the finals.
The best defensive side in the competition – spearheaded by goalkeeper Kaitlyn Black and partner in crime Jacinta McGinley – dictated terms in the contest and turned it into a defensive grind, restricting the Magpies to its lowest score of the season, and comfortably below their season average of 63.8 goals per game.
It took an entire quarter before either side could manage consecutive goals, with the Magpies striking first, but the Rovers pulled away with a stretch of seven of eight goals midway through the quarter to establish a seven-goal lead.
Narre Warren closed the half with three goals to halt the visitors’ momentum, but opened the next quarter with 12 of the first 15 goals to reach a game-high 13-goal lead at 19-32.
Narre Warren was forced to work incredibly hard for each of its goal scoring opportunities in the face of tenacious pressure all over the court from the Rovers with Erin Bell facing her biggest challenge of the season in a head-to-head against Black.
The Rovers took an 11-goal lead into the final break and never looked back, outscoring the home side 15 goals to 10 in the final 15 minutes.
With more to play for in the final round, given Narre Warren had already secured the minor premiership, the Rovers looked brilliant and ready for the fight, unafraid of the aura and perennial dominance on the other side of the court.
The Magpies finish the season with only two losses to their name but with both coming against Mt Evelyn, they will be wary of the threat posed by the Rovers when the two meet again in a fortnight’s time.
Having both secured the double chance, the two are also best-placed to advance to a grand final on 21 September and resume their burgeoning rivalry.
Narre Warren snuck home against Mt Evelyn in an epic preliminary final at Yarra Junction last season and the Rovers are no doubt fuelled by seeking redemption in 2024.
A sprained ankle for star goalkeeper Gabrielle Dwyer saw her carried from the court during the second quarter and will be cause for concern ahead of Narre Warren’s finals campaign, but the reigning best-on-court in last season’s A-Grade final will benefit immensely from a week off next week.
With the game beginning earlier to accommodate the Magpies’ Ladies Day function, both Wandin and Pakenham knew a top-two spot was out of reach by the time their games got underway.
Both prevailed in important contests against Olinda Ferny Creek and Woori Yallock respectively, with Wandin locking away third place, and Pakenham fourth, in the process.
Pakenham fielded arguably its strongest side of the season in its 60-41 win, with Eliza Molino continuing to build chemistry with Caitlin Cooke in the defensive goal circle.
It was a four-quarter performance from the Lions, finishing with a strong second half of 33 goals to 21 to finish on a high.
Kelly Cousins, Rose Laidlaw and Charlotte Hudolin shared the goals around, hitting the finals in excellent form with six consecutive wins.
21 goals to eight in the second quarter, meanwhile, saw Wandin open a 16-goal lead at half time, but a strong second half from the Bloods closed the gap to seven at the final siren.
Emerald showed no mercy against Berwick Springs in a 93-goal hammering that saw Kaylah Loulanting clinch the leading goal scorer title with 739.
She scored 73 goals in her final outing of the season, in a brutal performance from the Bombers that at one stage scored 24 consecutive goals.
The result unfortunately confirms a winless season for Berwick Springs, which will hope to rediscover winning form in the Southern Football Netball League next season.
Monbulk, too, enter the finals in winning form, ending ROC’s season with a 69-33 win at home.
Pakenham will face Emerald in the second elimination final, with Wandin drawn to tackle Monbulk.
Pakenham’s reinforcements in the defensive circle will go a long way to curtailing Loulanting, who had two of her three lowest-scoring games of the season against the Lions.
The contest will pit the second-highest scoring team in the competition against the third-best defence, making for a captivating juxtaposition in tactics and approaches.
Pakenham won both contests this season by 10 and five points respectively, giving them the edge in the contest.
Wandin and Monbulk, meanwhile, will pit two towering shooters at either end of the court, in Emmalia Blake and Peri Reid.
Expect both Pakenham and Wandin to prevail, but neither contest presents as straight-forward.
