PARKVILLE Panthers have remained undefeated and continued Melbourne Quakes’ winless start to the M-League Mixed Premier division season in an eight-goal win on Wednesday night. The Panthers have performed like the team to beat, especially having accounted for their biggest rivals – and the team that knocked them off in last year’s decider Geelong in Round 1 – and have strung another two wins together since then. Their latest was a 52-44 triumph over the Quakes, with the Quakes average losing margin at just four goals from the three games.

After the first term it did not look like being close however, as Parkville piled on 16 goals to six in a dominant 15 minutes. Connor Lilly ran rampant with 14 goals in gaol attack, taking most of the burden off Sophie O’Kane who played a supporting role in that quarter. Star Quakes keeper Ronan Pring was doing well on O’Kane, teaming up with Caitie Kennedy to try and limit the scoring.

They started to get more on top in the second term, as Melbourne switched centres with Billy Mahoney coming on for Simon Cartwright. Jed Christian – who had only scored the one goal in the opening term in goal attack – came off, while Annabelle Gorman moved from goal shooter from goal attack and David Chisholm came on. The extra height in the circle made life difficult for the famed pairing of Georgette Paatsch and Jake Hederics.

Chisholm and Gorman scored 27 goals over the next two quarters and levelled the score by the final break, with Lilly (14 goals) putting most of score on the board for the Panthers. A switch at the final break to try and break the momentum saw Bridget Aughton come on at goal defence for Paatsch, with the starting seven otherwise largely the same. Riley Richardson was teaming up well with Elli Leydin at wing attack, and the Panthers found a second wind.

Off the back of another 12-goal term from Lilly, and a huge seven-goal quarter from O’Kane, the Panthers piled on 19 goals to 12 to produce their most efficient quarter of the night. Despite the Quakes’ best efforts, the ladder leaders put the foot down and found another gear to run out eight-goal victors, 52-44. O’Kane was named best on for her supportive role while putting up 12 goals, as Lilly piled on 40 in a big match. Leydin was also productive through wing attack, while Pring was crucial in that defensive circle.

On the next court, Valley Wolves were busy handing Ariels their first loss of the season. The Wolves bounced back from a Round 1 loss to make it two on the trot now, off the back of a strong second half against the Ariels. In the Round 3 contest, the match was fairly even at half-time with the Wolves just two goals up (25-23), but a 27-19 half following the main break resulted in the Wolves running away with the 52-42 victory. James Story scored a massive 41 goals in the match, with Karina Martin (goal defence) and Jessica Leader (centre) named as the keys in the win. Kurt Thompson (30 goals) stepped up in goal shooter for the Ariels.

It was a predictable one-way display from title contenders Geelong as the reigning premiers took care of the winless Eastside Sonics. Geelong put the foot down across the middle two quarters after leading by six goals at the first break, scoring 41-19 to blow the margin right out. By the final buzzer, Geelong had won by 34 goals, 76-42. Cameron Allum scored 56 goals in the win to be best-on, while Jake Noonan came on at half-time in goal defence, a chance from his usual midcourt role, limited his opponent to just five goals. Samara Harris was the Sonics’ best in wing defence.

In the final game of the round, LTU took care of NNE Vipers despite some strong performances from Vipers players. LTU scored 59 goals to 51, of which towering goal shooter Liam Killey managed 56 of them. Difficult to contain, NNE Vipers tried to up the scoring in the second half, and did pile on 20 goals in the third term courtesy of Brooke Dadds and Michael Dower in the circle. It would not be enough though, as NNE Vipers fell by eight goals, handing LTU its first win. Ben Bruitzman tried hard in centre for the losing side, but the work of Chloe Lambert in the midcourt for LTU was impressive.