By Marcus Uhe
An unwanted premature end to an otherwise successful season in the Outer East Football Netball A Grade netball competition stared Pakenham in the face on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing by three goals at the final break, a return to finals action threatened to be just that – a return, an appearance, a feature, without advancing any further.
The higher seed in the contest had been outplayed for the bulk the first three quarters against Emerald, and with shooter Kelly Cousins succumbing to a calf injury, the season’s mortality was knocking on Pakenham’s door.
Pakenham coach, Matt Cooke, said they had been outworked for the previous two-and-a-half quarters, lost one-on-ones and played an ‘ugly’ game.
The Lions broke from the final huddle with a renewed focus, and played with the energy of their devoted president, Marg Jones, who was unable to attend.
“Marg wasn’t there, so part of the three-quarter-time feedback was, ‘do you know how long Marg has waited for this? It’s three goals, two turnovers,’” Cooke said.
“We haven’t won an A Grade final in five/six years; you finished fourth ahead of these sides, it’s three goals and you can turn three balls (over) very quickly.
“The ask was, they needed an extra pass onto the top of the (goal) circle.
“Take the long ball out, force the defenders to defend one-on-one in-close, and change the tempo, so (Emerald) can’t hunt and hit.”
The final quarter exhibited a manic intensity from the Lions, flipping the script in dramatic fashion to run away with a 48-40 win to progress to the semi finals.
Emerald, a team with the competition’s highest goal scorer and the second-highest scoring team in the competition, averages 15.3 goals per quarter in 2024, but was held to a miserly six in the final period, while the Lions piled on 17 in an electric performance, at one stage scoring seven in a row.
Lara Goodman Hancock could hardly miss at Goal Attack, and in the defensive half, captain Caitlin Cooke and Eliza Molino put their bodies on the line and defended with a frenzied tenacity befitting of the contest’s stakes.
Where Emerald had picked Pakenham’s defence apart with a deliberate and methodical approach entering the ball into the goal circle in the first three quarters, preying on the Lions’ propensity to double-team Loulanting and leave the dangerous Mackenzie Fox to roam unattended in the girl circle, Caitlin Cooke and Molino timed their reads and interceptions perfectly time after time to disrupt scoring opportunities for the dangerous Bombers duo.
Caitlin Cooke’s efforts were those of a true leader, determined not let the opportunity slip through their fingers, and came as no surprise to her teammates, who have grown accustomed to seeing her hit the deck in desperation this year.
Caitlin Cooke and Adams, as the side’s leaders and experienced heads, were instrumental in turning the momentum of the contest, with their efforts rubbing off on the younger core, who at times looked flustered by Emerald’s approach.
“To have Jordyn and Caitlin in the back that can talk to their teammates in a certain manner and elicit a change, it’s absolutely critical,” Matt Cooke said.
“We knew we could get turnover and get ball off (Emerald), we just needed to be efficient.
“Our theme for the last four weeks has been be more efficient with the ball, and we were not efficient bringing the ball forward at all.”
The first quarter finished at 12 goals apiece, with Hudolin nailing a goal on the final siren to tie the scores.
When a stray ball rolled onto the court that forced a break in play, Adams kicked it away to the sidelines with disdain, suggesting she meant business on a massive day for her new club.
The second quarter saw Emerald expose Pakenham’s defensive strategy, mitigating Molino’s height and extinguishing one of Pakenham’s biggest weapons.
The Bombers worked the ball around the circle and into the often-open Fox, and at 19-24 late in the second term, the underdog had the biggest lead of the afternoon.
The first three goals of the second half saw the lead grow to seven goals, with a Molino miss, now playing at Goal Attack, turned into a goal at the other end to rub salt into the wound.
Rose Laidlaw was beginning to influence the contest in the forward third for Pakenham, and with four of the final five goals of the quarter, the Lions cut the lead to three at the final break.
A Molino intercept and eventual score tied proceedings at 35, having scored five of the first six goals to open the quarter, and after Emerald hit back with the next two, the next three for Pakenham saw them retake the lead for the final time.
From there, the Lions scored none of the final 12 goals of the contest, to seal their progression to the semi finals.
Last month, Cooke told the Gazette that winning a final would be a pass mark for the year.
Having ticked that box on Saturday, the remainder of the season opens the door for learning opportunities, and seeing what they can do to disrupt what has become the competition’s natural order.
It begins on Saturday at Yarra Glen, where they’ll tackle third seed, Wandin.
Last season’s runner up recovered from a slow start against Monbulk to finish winners 48-45, having opened the final quarter with a five-goal run that gave them a six-goal lead.
Monbulk hit back and refused to go down without a fight, reducing the lead to just two goals with four minutes remaining, but Wandin proved to strong, to book a date with Pakenham next week.
“The Wandin game is a free hit for us – they’re favourites,” Matt Cooke said.
The winner will face the loser of the second semi final between Narre Warren and Mt Evelyn in a preliminary final at Officer the following week.
