ROUND 11 of the Victorian Netball League saw some blowout games and close contests. The City West Falcons continued their dominant ways with the Geelong Cougars and Southern Saints also following suit.

Casey Demons (31) defeated by City West Falcons (66)

The City West Falcons put out an impressive and clinical four quarter performance against the Casey Demons who struggled to combat both the offensive and defensive pressure applied by the Falcons. They looked slick from the get go with their crisp passing across the court and ability to work their way through the pressure of the Demons. City West all but doubled their opponents score at half time and kept their foot on the throat with defenders Zoe Davies and Sarah Szczykulski putting on a masterclass in the goal circle. Their ability to roll off their opponents and get hands to ball provided the Falcons with plenty of turnover ball which they capitalised on. The two took their fair share of intercepts nullifying the influence of Demons shooters Erin Bell, Emily Wilson and Kassidy Withers. Up the other end the Falcons goalers dominated with Tharjini Sivalingam sitting at 100 per cent with 31 goals straight. She was assisted by Jane Cook who made her presence felt on the scoreboard with 29 goals from 38 attempts, while the work of Molly Jovic and Maggie Lind was impressive feeding the ball into the circle and moving into the goal circle themselves.

North-East Blaze (59) defeated Melbourne University Lightning (44)

It was an interesting clash between North-East Blaze and Melbourne University Lightning with Lightning holding a three goal buffer at quarter time before the Blaze asserted themselves on the game to push comfortably ahead. Blaze piled on 18 goals to eight in the second quarter and maintained that momentum throughout the remaining quarters. Elizabeth Nicol had a stellar game under the post showcasing her accuracy finding the net with ease and clever footwork to create space converting 47 of her 50 attempts at 90 per cent. Her partner in crime Sarah Hogan also played her role putting up 12 shots while the work from midcourters Abbey Ellis and Chloe Lambert was imperative allowing the shooters to reposition and feeding well into the circle. Amy Wirth and Madeline Stewart had their work cut out for them in defence for the Lightning working hard to stop the Blaze shooter’s but it was to no avail. The Lightning leading goal scorer was Amelia Brock who nailed 24 from 28 followed by Rebecca Winch with 13 from 16 at 82 per cent.

Hawks Netball (46) defeated by Geelong Cougars (64)

The Geelong Cougars continued their winning ways with an 18 goal victory over the Hawks Netball who have struggled throughout the season. Geelong extended their lead at every break showcasing their intent and precision with ball in hand to transition down the court and capitalise on their opportunities. Once again it was the work of Julia Woolley and Ruby Horton that proved to be the difference with the two shooters only missing six shots between them and posting a high volume of attempts. Woolley finished with 31 from 34 at 92 per cent while Horton had 26 from 29 at 90 percent. The delivery of the ball into the circle played a huge role in the Cougars win with Vanessa Augustini and Emily Post doing a wealth of work to hit the circle edge and feed the ball into the shooters. For the Hawks, Shae Gee led the charge with 32 goals from 43 attempts at 75 percent. Defensively, Shannon Rennison and Clare Johnson worked in overtime to try and confuse the space and cause turnovers but the Cougars were too clinical.

Ariels (50) defeated by Peninsula Waves (52)

Searching for their third win of the season the Ariels pushed out to a five goal lead at half time credit to their composed and calculated nature on court. But the Waves came out firing after time to claim a two goal victory piling on 30 goals to 23 after the main break. Peninsula lifted their intensity across the court and limited the opportunity of the Ariels allowing them to pick up turnover ball and capitalise. The teamwork of Madison Capsalis and Gabby Dwyer was imperative in working the ball down the court and hitting the circle edge to provide good ball into the Waves shooters. Madeline Morrison led the way in the goal circle for the Waves with 21 from 26 at 81 percent while Brierly Parker also chipped in on the scoreboard with eight goals. For the Ariels the combination between Alex Maher and Stacey Gannon was solid with Maher taking control and scoring 31 goals from 33 attempts at 94 per cent.

Boroondara Express (41) defeated by Southern Saints (64)

In the final game of the round the Southern Saints flexed their muscles with a 23 goal win over Boroondara Express who were unable to contain the Saints for four quarters. The Saints skipped out to an early eight goal lead and did not look like giving it up throughout the match with their slick ball movement and game play on full display. Their defensive pressure was immense while they converted on their chances under the post with Samantha Silvester and Ella Quinlan showcasing their accuracy. Silvester managed 27 goals from 29 attempts at 94 percent while Quinlan chipped in with 26 at 90 per cent. Stephanie McNay and Lyshae Barry worked well in defence together for the Saints limiting the influence of the Express shooters. Clare Vearing was the most prolific for Boroondara with 21 goals while Isabelle Hodgson also featured on the scoreboard with 17 goals. Isabella Brown showcased her versatility switching from goal defence to wing defence and into centre.