THE VICTORIAN Netball League was back last week, with not all results going the way some may have expected.
In the Grand Final rematch, it was Geelong who avenged its loss in last season’s decider by defeating City West 51 goals to 48.
Geelong got off to the perfect start, pinching a goal off the first centre pass and skipping out to a two goal to none lead before the Falcons had got one on the board.
Momentum really was with the Cougars early as they stretched their lead out to as much as five goals as they were really capitalising on turnover ball.
The Falcons then started to capitalise on some turnover ball of their own and ate away at the lead slightly, but could not fully eliminate the lead.
They got within two, but the margin ultimately sat at three at quarter time.
The Falcons got off to the perfect start in the second quarter, levelling things up before the Cougars snuck ahead again.
It was a high paced start to the quarter, but within the first five minutes the lead was back out to as much as four goals in favour of the home side.
The Cougars kept their foot on the gas, kept momentum and were rewarded with a lead that got out to as much as six goals.
However as the main break drew closer the Falcons really kicked into gear and closed the gap to as low as two goals.
Unfortunately for the Falcons the margin being that small did not last long as the Cougars reasserted control.
When the half time buzzer went the margin sat at five goals in favour of the Cougars.
The Cougars maintained a pretty steady lead right the way through the third term.
It fluctuated between two and five goals but was still pretty steady throughout.
In the end though the margin was back at the half time margin of five as the teams turned for home.
City West got close to finally levelling up the affair again in the final term, but could get no closer than within a goal of the Cougars.
The Cougars got the margin out to as much as six goals, and staved off a bit of a late fightback from their visitors to nab the first up win.
Geelong was not the only side to make a statement in the opening round of the season.
The Southern Saints showed they mean business in 2023, downing last year’s preliminary finalists Melbourne Uni.
The North East Blaze picked up a solid win over the Ariels, as did the Boroondara Express by an extra goal more.
Hawks Netball also picked up a first up win, downing Casey by seven goals.
VICTORIAN NETBALL LEAGUE ROUND 1 RESULTS
Casey Demons (45) lost to Hawks Netball (52)
Melbourne University (43) lost to Southern Saints (51)
Peninsula Waves (41) lost to Boroondara Express (60)
Ariels (42) lost to North East Blaze (60)
Geelong Cougars (51) defeated City West Falcons (48)
Sharp shooter taking advantage of opportunities
YOU would think being 5’10 would be tall. In general yes, but this day in the age of netball, that is seen as being on the shorter side, especially as a shooter. Nowadays you see 6 ‘5 shooters like Grace Nweke, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Caitlin Bassett. Jess Tetley has figured out how to turn her […]
Country star Lavis takes major leaps to get a taste of SSN
TRAVELLING from Victoria-New South Wales border into Melbourne multiple times a week would take a toll on any person. Numerous hours in the car, training for two hours, then having to drive back. It’s an endless cycle. Mia Lavis has learnt to adapt to that being from the country town of Howlong, but she appreciates […]
Charlotte Sexton’s dreams are becoming a reality
“I WANT to make Suncorp Super Netball, not sure how many years I’m off doing that, but hopefully a training partner role is the next step.” Little did Charlotte Sexton know, that statement would soon become a reality. Sexton was announced as one of the five training partners with the Melbourne Vixens for the 2025 […]
Lightning strikes twice for Hobson
IMAGINE going in for a routine scan to see how your body is holding up and being told you had no ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Being told that the previous surgery you had five years ago wasn’t performed correctly. Being told you had to have a corrective surgery right when you were climbing up ever […]
Defenders delight as duo tie for VNL MVP
IT was a big night for the Victorian Netball League (VNL) last night, with the annual awards night taking place. In the Championship Division there was a tie for the MVP, with Sophie Hanrahan and Jessie Grenvold tying for the award. The win caps off a year that was just about perfect for Hanrahan, who […]
Triple treat for City West as Falcons fly high again
THE City West Falcons have established a true dynasty in the Victorian Netball League, defeating the Boroondara Express 64-53 to win the 2024 Grand Final, their third flag in a row. The Falcons led convincingly for most of the match as the key players really stood up and really did not allow the Express to […]
Boroondara through to a decider, but not all goes Expressly their way
THE Boroondara Express are through to another Victorian Netball League decider after defeating the Hawks 51 goals to 47. Although the Hawks put in a solid fight back at the end of the game, a strong first half from the Express meant that their efforts proved futile. The Express’ intent was on show early, as […]
Falcons fly high as Hawks survive first threat
THE City West Falcons are the first team through to the VNL Championship Grand Final after a 77-54 win over Boroondara Express in last night’s major semi-final. Although things started off tight between the sides, when the Falcons made some key positional changes in defence and attack they saw things swing in their favour, and […]
PREVIEW | 2024 VNL – Finals Series
AFTER an entertaining and at times unpredictable home and away season, it is now time for the finals series of the Victorian Netball League. Four teams are all that are left in contention to win the title – City West Falcons, Boroondara Express, Hawks and the North East Blaze. Coming into this three week finals […]
