MEN’S Premier Division Round 13 saw some ladder-defining matches take place, with the biggest switch ultimately seeing Melbourne City Blackhawks back in finals contention with a handy win against Ariels, leapfrogging Pasifika Sharks back into the top four. Meanwhile, Southern Seahawks are still an outside chance to make finals, sitting in sixth below the Sharks only on percentage and just one win behind the Blackhawks. In Round 13 results, Southern Seahawks reigned supreme over DDNA with a 32 goal win (68-36), St Therese proved a big finals point to Sirens Netball with a massive 15 goal win (58-43), while Geelong Cougars prevailed over Pasifika Sharks in a tight seven goal victory (47-40).

Ariels put up a tough fight against Melbourne City Blackhawks, going down by only 12 goals (57-69) in an effort to deny the Blackhawks their finals chances. The Blackhawks ultimately now only need to win their final match of the regular season to finish in the top four, timing their run to perfection. But while the Blackhawks had confidence and consistency on their side heading into this match, the Ariels were not to go down without a fight well and truly taking it to the Blackhawks from the opening whistle, making for a tight contest. The Ariels virtually matched the Blackhawks for a lot of the match, only running out of steam in the second half after being three goals down at half time. The absence of Tim Marshall for the Blackhawks saw Simon Cartwright and Anthony Maniapoto take the lead in defence, using speed and elevation to provide vital turnover ball and propel it back through to their attack. The height and strength of David Chisholm at the goal post was key for Blackhawks as the go-to shooter, nailed a whopping 54 goals. He was aided by Lucas Farrimond and Matthew Doyle in turn to create a dominant goal circle with plenty of versatility. Defensively, the Ariels used their rotations to switch up depending on the flow of the game, with Brendan Nick and Samuel Dugan providing a solid effort down the court, backed by Daniel Stone in goal keeper. The Ariels shared the load in the goal circle, with feeders, Anthony Williams and Phillip Pene finding easy access into a rotating goal circle, with Michael Dower top-scoring for the side with 22 goals.