ST Therese had a good night out in the opening round of the 2022/23 Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA) M-League Junior divisions, picking up a couple of wins. Producing a team in both the 17 and Under and 14 and Under grades, St Therese was able to come away with the points against Peninsula Waves and WDNA respectively as the two four-team competitions got underway.

Despite only having six players to Peninsula Waves’ seven and playing without a wing attack fo the full match, St Therese’s 17 and Under side came away with a comfortable 21-goal victory. The victors slowed the game down to play possession netball and it resulted in a win, as they won each of the four quarters. The huge difference maker was in the third term, where, after leading by five goals at the main break, the undermanned St Therese piled on 17 goals to five. Also winning the last quarter 13-9, the eventual victors were able to scoot to a 52-31 triumph.

Liam Mason was huge in goal shooter, piling on 38 goals, while Josh Francis managed 14 as his shooting partner. Centre Zachary Vesovic – who also spent the third term in goal defence to be a match-winner – was a standout in the win, while Ryan Lovell – who had the opposite role to Vesovic – was also impressive for St Therese. Christian Doukas scored 19 goals as the standout shooter for Peninsula, but the Waves could not find the answers against St Therese.

In the other game, WDNA also had a comfortable win, cruising to a 22-goal victory over Darebin, After trailing by a goal at quarter time, WDNA restricted its opposition to single digit goals in each of the last three quarters. At the same time, WDNA piled on 18, 17 and 13 goals to run away with the easy 59-37 victory and ensure it put its premiership credentials on the table.

Jonty Stickland was outstanding in centre, while Khi Horsburgh played the first three quarters and shot 25 goals, providing great support for Campbell Brown (30) who was strong in the attacking circle. For Darebin, Ben Holehouse stood out for his work through goal attack and wing attack, while Tyson Lowman was important after coming on for the second term and rotating through the midcourt.

17 & UNDER ROUND 1 RESULTS:

WDNA (59) defeated Darebin (37)
St Therese (52) defeated Peninsula Waves (31)

In a battle of the two new sides, TBC took on Guy McCleish in the 14 and Under Division. Declan Lawson played across all thirds of the court, with his move into centre and then defence after shooting five goals in the first half from goal attack, proving a key difference in the result. Ashton Burns – who played the first half in centre then went into goal attack for the third term and also shot five goals – was impressive, while Ben Gray – who played both wings and in goal shooter – was the best for Guy McCleish, and Tom Bryant shot a team-high 13 goals.

In the other match, St Therese won a thriller over WDNA, grinding out a 25-23 victory. The two-goal result was always in the balance, with an eight goals to one second term the difference between the sides. WDNA lead by three goals at the first break, but found the going tougher in the second quarter, resulting in a four-goal deficit by the final break. St Therese continued its momentum to open up a six-goal buffer by the final break, and though WDNA hit back to reduce the final margin back to two goals, it was not enough.

Finn McLeod was important in goal defence for St Therese’s really restricting his opponents to just nine goals for the match, while wing defence Seamus Sullivan provided pressure up the ground and was important in transition for the winners. WDNA’s Noah Bacon scored eight goals across three quarters in goal attack for WDNA, supporting Thomas Lane (15), while Wynter Morgan Eeles (13 goals) and Brodie Lilly (12) shared the scoring load for St Therese.

14 & UNDER ROUND 1 RESULTS:

St Therese (25) defeated WDNA (23)
TBC (37) defeated Guy McCleish (26)