WITH the midway point of the 2019 Men’s Premier Division season upon us, plenty of big matches played out on Wednesday evening with big results changing up the dynamic. The ladder leaders were dealt their first loss of the season with close matches aplenty while one big blowout bumped up the percentage of one of the top four.

Round 7 saw some big results, with St Therese recording the biggest margin of the round over Ariels, defeating the bottom side by 31 goals (62-31). Meanwhile, Melbourne City Blackhawks defeated DDNA 65-61, sitting comfortable in fourth with the victory while Pasifika Sharks were dealt a savage blow by Southern Seahawks, going down by one goal (61-62) amid plenty of controversy down to the final whistle thanks to feisty and physical contests across the court.

Sirens Netball impressed with a massive victory over the ladder-leading Geelong Cougars to take their winning streak to six matches and cut Geelong’s stellar record off, defeating the Cougars by three goals (48-45). It was a fantastic third quarter effort from the Sirens that took them from five goals down to two goals ahead by the main change, effectively turning the tide and putting the Cougars in a losing position they are not used to. While Geelong recovered from their unexpected fade-out relatively well in the final quarter, Sirens had all the momentum and well and truly earned their victory. It was the exceptional shared effort of Sirens’ Brodie Roberts and Josh Smith in goals, with the duo combining for 24 goals apiece and able to have an effect from all areas of the circle. It was a similar story in attack for Geelong, though the side experimented more in the circle with stalwart goal attack Brayden Pastore key to their attacking movement, finding plenty of space and goaling true while also acting as a feeder at times with Jed Christian and Cameron Allum. Sirens’ Will Jamison was a lock in goal defence, doing everything possible to shut down Geelong’s frontline and succeeding on plenty of occasions, rocketing the ball back up the court into attack, while Geelong’s Alastair Punshon utilised his vertical leap to intercept loose ball coming down court.