A 34-GOAL first half from the Ariels has seen them leapfrog fourth placed Melbourne Quakes in last night’s M-League Mixed Premier Division clash. Touted as the match of the round, it was certainly that, even if the Ariels did end up winning by 13 goals. In what was an outstanding performance to put them into the finals positions, Ariels won their first game since Round 2, the same round when the Quakes sat 2-0 equal top of the ladder. Since then, Melbourne has dropped four consecutive games, and will now have to fight its way back into the top four after conceding the spot to Ariels.

In the match of the round, the Ariels dominated the first half, winning the first term 16-11 and the second 18-12. Kurt Thompson was on fire, shooting 22 first half goals, aided well by goal attack, Annabel Gorman (12). Comparatively, Rebecca Winch had put on eight goals in goal shooter, whilst Jayden Cowling had converted 15 for the Quakes. Down by 11 at half-time, the Quakes made some positional changes.

Cowling moved into goal shooter, with Mia Washington coming on at goal attack. Chloe Gray returned to wing attack as she had in the first term, with Bill Mahoney moving into centre. Josh Keppar and Elly Randall also returned to court in the defensive goal circle to return to their starting seven. On the other hand, the Ariels did not want to change a winning formula, with only Ryan Towers and Kellie Davidson rotating between centre and wing defence, and Brendan Nick and Jamie O’Hare swapping the defensive goal circle bibs.

The second half was a much tighter affair, with Ariels only scoring 19 goals to 17, but it was more than enough to get the job done after the first half. They won the first three quarters and drew the last to enjoy the 53-40 win. Thompson starred throughout to finish with 32 goals on the night, as wing attack Ally Black was sensational with her feeds. For the Quakes, Cowling working hard through goal attack and goal shooter before being thrown into centre for the last quarter.

Despite the solid victory, it was by far the closest game of the night, with the other two Mixed Premier Division clashes being complete blowouts Geelong Cougars destroyed last played Eastside Sonics by more than 50 goals off the back of a sensational shooting display from Zanna Woods and Brayden Pastore, whilst Parkville Panthers had an equally impressive win over NNE Vipers. Elli Leydin and Georgette Paatsch were the stars in that huge victory.

M-LEAGUE MIXED PREMIER DIVISION ROUND 8 RESULTS:

Ariels (53) defeated Melbourne Quakes (40)
Geelong Cougars (87) defeated Eastside Sonics (30)
Parkville Panthers (72) defeated NNE Vipers (28)