DESPITE a tense final five minutes, Ariels kick-started their 2022/23 Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA) Men’s Premier League season off on the right note. Leading for the entirety of the Round 1 match, the Ariels survived some nervous moments to come away with a two-goal victory over newcomers Boroondara Thunder last night.

A standout performance from shooter Dan Stone was the catalyst for the 47-45 triumph, proving consistent under the post across the four quarters for the Ariels. The team started off strong, with Stone (seven goals from eight attempts) and Josh Clavarino (eight from nine) combining well in the shooting circle. Up the other end, Daniel King and Brendan Nick were making the Thunder shooters earn every goal, with their pressure and defensive third intercepts.

David Chisholm shot eight goals from 12 in the opening term, recovering from some early rust – missing four of his first five goals – while Brayden Pastore shot at 50 per cent (one from two). Though the Thunder did manage to find more fluency in the second term, they continued to shoot at a lower clip with a 67 per cent efficiency compared to the Ariels’ 84 per cent. That allowed the Ariels to increase their lead to nine by the main break.

Wade Aitken had stepped up in the midcourt for the Ariels before earning a break in the third quarter, as Dan Radburn came on for a quarter, joining Matthew Blomeley in that attacking midcourt. David Priddle‘s work at wing defence was holding up well, and he too earned a spell before replacing Nick midway through the third quarter. A relatively low-scoring quarter, the key for the Thunder turned out to be Tory Allen.

Coming in at centre, Allen was one of his side’s best as he took control over the equally-fresh Radburn, then continued to impress in the last term against Mitchell Small who was moved into the role from wing defence. After 20 goals in the first half, Stone was limited to just four goals in the third term, as defensive third teammates Hadley Dixon, Sam MacKerras and Tim Malmo were starting to gel for the Thunder.

Trailing by seven goals at the final break, the Thunder struck hard in the last term, roaring to life and making a real game of it in the last few minutes. Forcing turnovers and applying full court defensive pressure allowed repeat intercepts and goals, and though at times Chisholm found himself under immense pressure – he shot nine goals from 14 attempts in the last term – the Thunder kept coming. They drew within a goal at one point, before the Ariels steadied with an important goal.

They held onto possession for the final 30 seconds of the match to ensure a 47-45 triumph. Stone shot 32 goals – including 13 of 14 in the second term – with defensive pairing Nick and King also important, ass was Aitken in the first half. Despite some yips in the last 15 minutes, Chisholm was still strong under the post with 24 goals across three quarters. Allen and the defensive pairing of Malmo and MacKerras stepped up when combining in the defensive goal circle in the second half.

Meanwhile, City Heat had a very similar victory over Altona Falcons as the Ariels did over the Thunder. Last year’s semi-finalists triumphed by three goals, 47-44 over another newcomer, in a remarkable come-from-behind victory. Trailing by 10 goals at half-time, the Heat cut the deficit to seven at the last change. Then a switch of goal keeper Josh Byron into goal shooter proved to be key, as he shot nine goals, teaming up with Brodie McCleish (eight) as his side piled on 17 goals to seven in the last term to run out three-goal victors. Andrew Burgess was best-on for the Falcons for his full game in defence.

There was no such tightness in the third game, as reigning premiers St Therese got its season off to the perfect start, piling on 57 goals to 33 to run away with a 24-goal win over Darebin Dragons. Chris Cameron was superb in wing attack, as the champions only played the eight players but proved incredible effective, as 2022/23 M-League Grand Final Most Valuable Player (MVP) Tom Hardwick put up 30 goals to steer his team to victory. Jayden Cowling (19 goals) supported well in goal shooter. Only playing two quarters, Alexander Nichols scored 12 of his side’s 33 goals as the dominant shooter.

VMMNA MEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Ariels (47) defeated Boroondara Thunder (45)
St Therese (57) defeated Darebin Dragons (33)
City Heat (47) defeated Altona Falcons (44)