WITH a blowout in both leagues, the Mixed Premier and Division 1 semi-finals provided plenty of excitement and put some real talent on show. Parkville Panthers had a massive win over Valley Wolves, not skipping a beat after a bye last round, while Pasifika Sharks were dealt a blow when a late forfeit was required, gifting Geelong Cougars an automatic grand final entry. In Division 1, undefeated Fitzroy Phoenix continued their winning streak against Melbourne Bucks while Ariels Mixed prevailed in a tight encounter over St Kilda Bullets.

Mixed Premier Division

Thanks to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Pasifika Sharks’ untimely forfeit, the Geelong Cougars have prime position heading into the grand final next week. Parkville Panthers well and truly proved their top spot finish with a massive victory heading into the grand final.

Parkville Panthers (71) defeated Valley Wolves (35)

A first quarter goal blitz from the Panthers set up an impressive win from the beginning, shooting 19 goals to eight in the first quarter and denying opportunities at the post for the Wolves in the second. While the Wolves tightened up their defence after the first quarter the Panthers were just too good, poking holes across the court again and again and relegating the Wolves to only 35 goals for the match, more than doubling their final score. Injury to Wolves’ Nat Billings early in the game spelled trouble, with the versatile attacker only making it partway through the first before leaving the court and creating little chance for positional changes. The likes of James Story (10 goals), Alastair Punshon (17) and Monique Nagle (eight) worked well in attack with Hannah Kuhar and Nagle feeding well, while Jason Heard also played a key role through the midcourt bringing the ball down, having a big third quarter to feed the ball down to Punshon in attack. The Panthers were very tactical with their positions for the match, with majority of the team only playing a half game to ensure the strong defensive duo of Dylan Nexhip and Georgette Paatsch played out a full match in defence. Wolves’ Punshon, Joshua Burns and Erin Jay put in a solid effort defensively but to no avail against the rotating shooting prowess of goal attacks, Brodie Roberts (25 goals) and Corey Nexhip (16), with Uneeq Palavi (21) and Amy Starzer (nine) rotating through goal shooter.

Mixed Division 1

Two polar opposite matches ensued for the two spots in the grand final next week, with one blowout result and one close encounter shaping the Division 1 semi-finals. Fitzroy Phoenix have another shot at the gold this year after falling short at the final hurdle last season while Ariels Mixed prevailed over St Kilda Bullets.

Fitzroy Phoenix (72) defeated Melbourne Bucks Mixed (36)

Undefeated Fitzroy Phoenix continued their solid streak for the year with a massive win over Melbourne Bucks, doubling the Bucks’ score to win by a whopping 36 goals. The Phoenix lifted their game since the last time they took the court in opposition, running out victors in the intense contest. To the Bucks’ credit they kept the Phoenix to 10 goals in the final term, shooting 12 for their highest quarter score for the match. Though not a massive victory in terms of the final score, given the 24 goal to eight first quarter the Bucks should be happy with their effort to finish off the messy game on a high. The Phoenix will want to lift their game heading into the grand final next week to ensure they do not fade out in a similar manner. Lewis Andrews was phenomenal for the Phoenix, shooting a whopping 51 goals even and sitting out the final quarter, leading his side to a solid victory.

Ariels Mixed (53) defeated St Kilda Bullets (46)

In comparison to the former match, the battle of second versus third was a lot closer with neither Ariels Mixed nor St Kilda Bullets managing to wrestle the lead away, evenly matched and creating an exciting contest to finish the night. It was a see-sawing battle throughout with both sides unable to find purchase or momentum to really take control of the match. While a 16 goal to 12 third quarter saw the Bullets come out with some solid form to look like they could run it home and evening up the ledger to sit even on 38 goals apiece at three quarter time, a final quarter 15 goal haul to eight saw the Ariels steal away the victory and head towards another massive match next week. An equal contest throughout, both sides generated plenty of excitement to create a real interesting battle.