WITH Round 13 of the Victoria Netball League done and dusted there were some surprise results and plenty of close calls. City West Falcons remain undefeated while the Geelong Cougars move up to second spot on the ladder after North-East Blaze dropped their match against the Casey Demons.

Ariels (39) defeated by Hawks Netball (57)

The Hawks claimed only their fourth win against the cellar dwellers with a workman like performance. With a two goal margin at quarter time the Hawks surged ahead to secure an 18-point victory. Shooters Shae Gee, Tayla Shannon and Hannah Keane were all integral for the Hawks with a combined shooting accuracy of 82 per cent. Shannon swapped between goal shooter and goal attack and was the most prolific of the shooters on court nailing 27 from 33 at 82 per cent. In the defensive end for the Hawks, Enya Broadley picked off some impressive intercepts while Shannon Rennison and Clare Johnson applied strong hands over pressure to create doubt in the Ariels attack end. Wing attack, Kourtnee Baird provided a good spark through the midcourt and attacking third to drive to the top of the circle and consistently reposition. Brodie Smith and Jessica Maher were under pressure in defence but put out a hard fought effort to try and nullify the influence of the Hawks goalers. In the goal circle the scoring load was evenly shared between Stacey Gannon and Beth Wilson with 19 and 20 goals respectively.

Geelong Cougars (63) defeated Boroondara Express (58)

The lead chopped and changed throughout the match with the Cougars holding the lead at the first break before Boroondara hit back in the second credit to an 18 goal term. Express’ accuracy to post and attacking intent provided them with plenty of opportunities under the post but they were unable to sustain that pressure falling by five goals. Goal shooter Clare Vearing owned the goal circle with her strong holds and ability to find the net with 46 goals from 51 attempts at 91 per cent. Isabelle Hodgson and Anastasia Hamill both chipped in on the scoreboard but it was not enough to get Express over the line. Their defensive unit did a truckload of work to create turnovers and break centre passes to keep them in the hunt with the likes of Caitlyn Degaris working tirelessly. The Cougars attack end showcased their potency with scoring trio Julia Woolley, Bridgette Furphy and Ruby Horton all imposing themselves on the contest. Furphy did not miss a shot all game with 13 straight while Woolley was the most prolific to post 30 from 32 at 94 per cent. Wing defence Sophie Shoebridge played out of her skin picking up some crucial intercepts to drag the Cougars back into the game.

Southern Saints (49) defeated by City West Falcons (51)

The undefeated City West Falcons were given a big scare by the fourth placed Southern Saints who almost claimed one of the biggest upsets of the season. The score ebbed and flowed with the lead changing at every break before the Falcons stuck strong and maintained a two goal buffer. In the absence of Tharjini Sivalingam who has been named to play for Sri Lanka in the upcoming World Cup it was up to Uneeq Palavi and Tahnysha Salanoa to carry the load in attack and Palavi did just that with 49 from 56 at 88 per cent. The defensive pressure lifted in the final term from Sarah Szczykulski and Zoe Davies only conceding nine goals and picking off any loose ball and sending it back down the court. For the Saints the shooting load was spread between Ella Quinlan, Samantha Silvester and Sinead Lumsden with Lumsden the most accurate of them all at 87 per cent with 19 from 22. Shannon Freeman and Stephanie McNay were impressive in defence for the Saints confusing the space and getting hands over the ball to block their oppositions vision.

Casey Demons (65) defeated North-East Blaze (53)

It was a shock upset with the Demons only claiming their sixth win of the season against the third placed North-East Blaze. Casey jumped out to an early lead and did not look back working hard to maintain their pressure across each third. Blaze were unable to match the volume of shots put up by the Demons only managing 64 compared to 81. Emma Ryde dominated throughout the game, using her height and strength to wield off Blaze defenders Tayissa Coppinger and Kaitlyn Black sinking 51 from 60. Shooting partner, Erin Bell also had an influence on the scoreboard with 14 from 21 while her feeds into the circle were also critical. Through the midcourt the likes of Kassidy Withers and Shannon Blackman worked tirelessly to move the ball down the court and find a player on the lead and in space while opposing wing attack Ella Bayliss was influential in the attacking end for Blaze with her timely feeds and clever footwork. Elizabeth Nicol dominated the goal shooter positon for the Blaze credit to her strong positioning under the post and ability to find the post with ease with 38 goals from 44 attempts.

Peninsula Waves (38) defeated by Melbourne University Lightning (45)

In another close game it was Melbourne University Lightning that came out victorious by seven goals after being down at quarter time. The Waves had a hot start to the game establishing a two goal lead before the Lightning worked their way back into the match credit to their clever game plan and ball placement. Peninsula struggled to find an avenue to goal only managing 38 goals with Brierly Parker, Gabrielle Dwyer and Jessica Cox all well covered by the likes of Gabrielle Coffey, Madeline Stewart and Maddison Ridley. Ridley showcased her versatility switching between circle defence and wing defence while Shae Brown made her presence felt in at centre for Melbourne University. Goal attack Rebecca Winch showcased her hot hand with 12 from 14 while Mikaela Vaughan top scored with 27 from 39 at 70 per cent keeping the Lightning’s finals hopes alive.