ROUND 9 saw the final round before the Mixed Premier Division reverts back to the beginning of the fixture, with NNE Vipers having the final bye for the first half of the season. Unsurprisingly Parkville Panthers still sit atop the ladder undefeated, while St Therese had another tough week at the bottom of the ladder.

With plenty happening on every court this week, there were two big margin results with Panthers delivering Melbourne City Blackhawks a 42 goal deficit (30-72) while Valley Wolves came to play with new uniforms and intensity to boot, defeating St Thereses by 22 goals (42-66). Continuing the trend of twos, DDNA went down by only two goals in a feisty contest against Pasifika Sharks (62-64), with the ball ping-ponging back and forth down the court as both teams fought for momentum.

The final match of the round saw Geelong Cougars take on Eastside Sonics in a much closer match than the first quarter would suggest, with the Sonics going down 52-44. Geelong raced away to an impressive 11 goal lead at quarter time, dominating the first quarter with the likes of Sarah Szczykulski exceptional in at goal keeper keeping the ball well away from Sonics’ Jack Carpenter and forcing valuable ball over the goal line. While Carpenter stole back plenty of ball in the second half, Szczykulski’s effort was key for the Cougars extending their early lead. Szczykulski worked well with Luke Marko Rawlings early, confusing the space well and creating turnover opportunities for the Cougars. After a sloppy first quarter the Sonics were unwilling to go down without a fight, winning the second quarter to narrow the margin. It was to no avail, however, still going down by eight goals with the teams shooting an even 23 goals apiece in the second half. Samara Harris was a workhorse through the midcourt for Sonics, keeping up with Victorian Netball League’s (VNL) Allie Smith in centre and creating plenty of opportunity for her side to get back into the contest, while Jesse Failla was a force to be reckoned with in wing attack, using his speed off the mark to create movement through attack. In goals for Geelong were formidable duo, Brayden Pastore and Julia Woolley, with the pair sharing the load relatively evenly at the post and finding plenty of space to ply their trade in the circle. While the Sonics’ early inaccuracy and unexecuted passes shot them in the foot, the side showed plenty of fight and will be a team to watch in the second half of the season.