ALTONA Falcons swooped in to steal the points against LTU in an M-League Mixed Premier Round 5 match by three goals to move into third spot on the table. The Falcons faced a four-goal deficit at the final break, but a barn-storming 19 goals to 12 in the fourth quarter enabled the Falcons to run over the top of LTU and move to 3-1 for the 2022/23 season.

Both teams came in with a couple of wins from their first three matches, and third place on the line for the victor. It looked like LTU would cruise to victory, piling on 20 goals to nine in the opening term on Court 1. Towering holding shooter Liam Killey put up 17 of his side’s 20 goals in the opening term, while Charlotte Crook and Thomas Gilberto were both strong in defence for the leaders.

LTU shuffled around the magnets for the second term to give everyone a go, with Crook, Gilberto, centre John Tran and goal attack Jessica Black all coming off. The side still put up 18 goals, with each one coming off Killey’s hands. Altona had regained the momentum though, putting up 20 goals and cutting the deficit from 11 to nine at the main break. Bess Schnioffsky had come on at goal defence with Maddison McKiernan moved to ing defence, and Nathan Selvidge from wing defence to goal keeper.

The moves limited LTU’s forward options, with Killey becoming the sole source of scoring in that term. Andrew Lewis‘ injection into goal shooter – after trying to counter Killey’s height in the first term – shot 20 straight goals himself. The pair would end up piling on the remainder of the goals throughout the last three quarters in what was a powerful display of high-volume shooting.

Josh Smith – who played the first term in goal shooter before having a rest in the second – moved into goal keeper for the second half to try and contain Killey, and kept him to 15 goals in a crucial third term. That allowed the Falcons to cut the deficit back to just four at the final break as they were coming hard. The changing midcourt of the Falcons could not quite find the answers with the Falcons able to hold up defensively, and then in the last term, produced their best effort yet.

Altona scored 19 goals to 12 to come over the top of LTU and snatch the win, with Lewis piling on another 39 goals in the second half to make it 59 for match, just shy of Killey’s 62. McKiernan’s move into wing defence shut down the opposition forward forays, while Smith – who made the opposite move to Lewis – was able to somewhat quell Killey. Taking away the first term, Altona won the last three quarters 59-45 to really find the netball the Falcons want to play. In the books, the final score read 68-65 with the Falcons clocking up another win.

AROUND THE COURTS

Geelong kept the pressure up on top of the table Parkville Panthers with a six-goal win over a tricky Valley Wolves outfit. Missing Brodie McCleish who had been in good form for Geelong, the reigning premiers overcame a one-goal deficit at quarter time to regain control and lead by three at half-time. Valley Wolves kept coming to level the scores in the third, before a 16-11 final stanza sealed the deal, 55-49. Jake Noonan was best-on across centre, putting pressure on the Wolves’ midcourt, while Olivia Taylor stepped up when it counted in wing defence. Brayden Pastore was the Wolves’ key man in attack.

In a battle of the bottom two sides, Melbourne Quakes put their unlucky series of losses behind them to put away Eastside Sonics, 64-38. The Sonics were competitive for the first term to only trail by three goals at quarter time, but soon the Quakes piled on 23-9 in the second to ultimately build a lead that would never be caught. They won the second half 25-17 including a 14-6 third quarter for the final 26-goal result. Annabelle Gorman was outstanding in goal shooter, pouring on 41 goals herself to outscore the opposition, while Ronan Pring‘s stellar season in defence continued across the final three quarters. Jed Christian shot 11 goals in the first half, before spending a quarter in the final term to also be among the best. Jack Carpenter looked the most dangerous for Eastside, firing off 32 goals in three quarters and was duly missed in the third when the team only managed six.

Meanwhile NNE Vipers picked up their second win of the season by causing a slight upset over fellow mid-table side Ariels, winning in a three-goal thriller. In a low-scoring first term, the Vipers lead by two goals at quarter time, then piled on 15-11 in the second to build a six-goal buffer. Showing why they had been competitive all season, Ariels hit back in the third with an important 15-10 term as Dan Stone piled on 14 goals after moving from defence. Despite the Ariels’ efforts to draw within one, they could not contain the Vipers from winning, as NNE put up 14-12 in the last term, largely thanks to 11 goals from Michael Dower. Dan King was best-on for his defensive work for three quarters, with his team looking far stronger when he as there. Ally Black and Kurt Thompson were also impressive for Ariels.