THE bye did not do any favours for St Therese who were handed a big loss at the hands of DDNA (44-70) while the NNE Vipers were also in the same boat going down by 30 goals to top of the table Parkville Panthers (34-64). The Vipers are yet to win a game this season while Geelong Cougars notched up their second win of the year to work their way back into fourth spot on the ladder. The Valley Wolves continued their undefeated ways downing the Pasifika Sharks in a dominant four quarter display meanwhile the Eastside Sonics were sidelined with the bye.

The battle between Melbourne City Blackhawks and Geelong Cougars was the closest of the round with both sides tussling hard to claim bragging rights. But when the final whistle sounded it was the Cougars who reigned supreme by 14 goals against a trying Blackhawks outfit (37-51). The Geelong defensive unit of Sarah Szczykulski and Jake Dambrauskus proved to be hard to penetrate with the two putting in a mountain load of work to clog up space, cause confusion and cherry pick passes to propel the ball back down the court. Luke Marko Rawlings showcased his versatility switching between goal defence in the second quarter to goal shooter in the third and fourth piling on 22 goals. Brayden Pastore also carried on his merry way carving up the goal circle with 16 goals. The Blackhawks were affected by the New Zealand Men’s Nationals with Simon Cartwright missing in action but the likes of Timothy Marshall and Madeline Hargrave stood strong in defence. The two worked well in tandem but were simply unable to quell the offensive pressure applied by their Geelong counterparts. Daniel Cooke proved to be key in the circle with the talented shooter making the most of his opportunities under the post for the Blackhawks with 22 goals before being taken off in the final term. The midcourt battle created plenty of intrigue with Olivia Taylor and Molly Stranger going head to head throughout the game and working hard in transition.

NNE Vipers (34) defeated by Parkville Panthers (64)
St Therese (44) defeated by DDNA (70)
Pasifika Sharks (36) defeated by Valley Wolves (60)
Melbourne City Blackhawks (37) defeated by Geelong Cougars (51)