THERE was no shortage of blowout results in Round 9 of the Victorian Netball League (VNL) with four of the five games decided by margins greater than 15 goals. The closest game of the round was the battle between the Ariels and North East Blaze.

Melbourne University Lightning (61) defeated Hawks Netball (40)

After suffering their first loss of the season last round Melbourne University Lightning came out with a point to prove against the Hawks. Unfortunately for the Hawks they copped the full brunt of a firing and vengeful Lightning outfit as their clinical defence stopped any fluid ball movement. The Lightning piled on 19 goals to nine in the opening term to all but set up the win and they steadily increased that buffer as the game went on. The Hawks did not score more than 11 goals in a single quarter credit to Melbourne Uni’s defensive commitment.

The combination of Gabby Coffey, Fiona Fowler and Maddy Stewart proved to be impenetrable as the Lightning trio consistently got hands to ball. Maggie Caris also imposed herself down back for the Lightning as they rotated their defensive structure but did not let up on their pressure. It was hard work for the Hawks shooters with Nat Billings coming on at half time to try and eat into the margin. She ended with 10 goals to her name at 91 per cent as both Tayla Shannon and Daisy Hill worked hard but struggled to have their usual impact. The Lightning midcourt was just about unstoppable as Kelsie Rainbow starred in both centre and wing defence while Jordan Cransberg had a field day in wing attack alongside Shae Brown. Jasmine Ferguson was a real workhorse for the Hawks despite only playing a half of netball while Alex Salter tried gallantly. Uni’s shooting duo of Mikaela Vaughan and Claudia Mawson was also on show with the two able to find a wealth of space under the post thanks to their perfectly timed rolls and fancy footwork, while distance did not appear to be an issue either. Vaughan slotted 42 goals while Mawson managed 12 goals.

Boroondara Express (69) defeated Peninsula (52)

Boroondara ensured that Peninsula stayed at the bottom of the ladder handing them their ninth loss of the season, but it was not all one way traffic to start with as the Waves opened up a handy five-goal lead at quarter time but were overcome by Express in the second term who piled on 23 goals. From there on out, Peninsula were forced to play catch-up netball and simply could not compete as Boroondara continued to find ways to win ball and nullify their opposition.

Inside the circle, Uneeq Palavi made a lasting impression with the Express goal shooter managing 52 goals from 60 attempts at 87 per cent. She was ably assists by the likes of Stephanie Gorrie with 11 goals while Isabelle Hodgson also chimed in with six. Tara Cecil worked in overdrive for the Waves to try and win ball back as did partner in crime Shannon Rennison but it was to no avail. Sussu Liai was once again a real livewire for Peninsula spending time in wing defence, goal defence and centre while in attack it was Clare Vearing that did the heavy lifting. The goal shooter managed 38 goals from 45 attempts while Stacie Gardiner played a strong supplementary role with her 14 goals but lacked accuracy only converting at 67 per cent. The partnership between Tegan Stephenson and Michelle Massarany continues to only get better and that was on show throughout this contest as the pair negated the influence of the Waves shooters after quarter time.

Southern Saints (52) defeated by City West Falcons (82)

It was a one-sided affair to say the least after half time as the City West Falcons ran rampant against the Saints to claim a huge 30-goal win. Neither side could be separated at quarter time heading into the break with 18 goals apiece but the wheels started to slowly turn in favour of the Falcons in the second quarter. They increased their defensive pressure and upped the ante in attack piling on 20 goals in the second to create a seven-goal buffer. but the game really started to blow open in the third when the undefeated Falcons piled on 28 goals to create a whopping 25-goal lead. It only got worse for the Saints as the Falcons were not done with them yet ,putting on a blistering final term.

Jane Cook showcased her dominance and star power slotting a staggering 52 goals from 53 attempts at 99 per cent in only three quarters of netball. She single-handedly changed the course of the game slotting 21 goals straight in the third term while the likes of Madelyn Gray and Tahnysha Salanoa found their groove with 18 and 12 goals respectively. It was always going to be a tough day at the office for the Saints defenders in Caitlin Cooke, Stephanie McNay and Lyshae Barry and that showed as copious balls skyrocketed over their heads. The firing midcourt of Maggie Lind, Montana Holmes and the dynamic Soli Ropati also proved hard for the Saints to stop, with Alana McGurgan and Ashleigh Gill all out of answers. Defensively City West also starred as Melissa Oloamanu, Sarah Szczykulski and Zoe Davies created a strong wall in defence to reduce the ball from getting to Sinead Lumsden and Ella Quinlan who, once they had ball in hand were accurate to post, but lacked volume.

Geelong Cougars (69) defeated Casey Demons (51)

The Geelong Cougars imposed themselves against the Demons with a convincing performance to climb up the ladder. It was always going to be an action-packed game but the Cougars showcased their ability to grind out games and put the foot down when they needed to in order to secure the win. They skipped out to an early lead and never looked like relenting as they increased their lead at every change, as a 36-goal second half well and truly kept the Demons at bay.

The battle between Emma Ryde and Brooke Allan was exciting to say the least. Allan is one of the taller defenders in the competition meaning she matched up against Ryde well for height and that was on show as she contested each and every pass that came her way. Ryde was still imposing with 38 goals to her name, while Sacha McDonald was rendered less impactful than usual with her 10 goals at 77 per cent as Tayla Honey was strong through the midcourt but had her work cut out for her against the highly flexible and ever changing Cougars outfit. With the likes of Madi Browne, Vanessa Augustini, Ally O’Connor and Emily Post able to impact through the centre, Geelong were able to ring in the changes whenever they saw fit and did not skip a beat. The moving circle work of Zanna Woods and Julia Woolley was at its damaging best as Woods slotted 43 goals from 53 attempts while Woolley managed 26 at 97 per cent. They were unfazed by the physicality stemming from the likes of Sharni Lambden, Georgia Vines and Demi Woodlock as the Cougars duo just plugged away to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Ariels (61) defeated North East Blaze (64)

The final game of the round was an absolute nail-biter as the Blaze just snuck over the line by three goals. the Blaze held the lead at every change but were pushed every step of the way credit to the Ariels’ never-say-die attitude and ability to score quickly. It was a ladder-defining win for the Blaze as they sit just outside the top four but on the same amount of wins as Casey.

With Rahni Samason back in the fold the Ariels were always going to be in a commanding position under the post – and it showed. The goal shooter slotted an impressive 49 goals from 50 attempts to sit at 98 per cent for the match while the likes of Olivia Morris and Stacey Gannon slotted five and seven goals respectively. The Blaze were up to the task in defence though as Tayissa Coppinger continued her hot form alongside the likes of Ruby Turner as the pair combined to confuse the space and cause turnovers. Nyah Allen was a commanding presence for the Blaze in attack returning from her Suncorp Super Netball duties over the weekend slotting 42 goals from 46 attempts. Georgia Moody also played a handy role with her 21 goals to create a two-pronged attack and keep the likes of Jessica Maher, Brodie Smith and Alice Paget guessing. The midcourt also saw some exciting contests as Meg Williams and Ella Bayliss  tried to steer the ship for the Blaze up against the likes of Monique Tarrant and Dionne Douglas.

Photo credit: Netball Victoria