ROUND 2 of the Victorian Netball League (VNL) saw the Geelong Cougars, North East Blaze, Peninsula Waves and City West Falcons continue their winning streak. While the Casey Demons suffered their first loss of the season, going down by 20 goals.

Geelong Cougars (59) defeated Hawks Netball (44)

Goal shooter, Ruby Horton led the way for the Geelong Cougars in attack posting a whopping 40 goals from 49 attempts. Her accuracy under the post, ability to find space in the circle and shooter to shooter interplay was pivotal in getting the Cougars over the line. She paired well with Bridgette Furphy (9/11) and Julia Woolley (10/11) who played their part in the goal circle. Defensively, Victoria Honner and Brooke Allan worked well together while the introduction of Georgette Paatsch into goal keeper in the third quarter was seamless. The Hawks struggled to combat the Cougars intensity but goal shooter Natalie Billings played her role in the goal circle contributing 17 goals from 18 attempts sitting at 95 per cent. Shae Gee’s radar was off for the Hawks only sitting at 67 percent while defenders Clare Johnson and Shannon Rennison applied some strong defensive pressure but it was not enough to quell the influence of Geelong’s shooters.

Melbourne University Lightning (49) defeated by North East Blaze (59)

The North East Blaze notched up their second win of the season with a convincing win against Melbourne University Lightning who struggled to move the ball down the court at times, credit to Blaze’s defensive pressure. North East got off to a hot start and held a three goal lead at half time before a dominant 17-goal third quarter pushed them clear of their opponents. Elizabeth Nicol was a shining light for the Blaze with her 43 goals sitting at an impressive 96 per cent for the game, while her partner in crime Sarah Hogan nailed 16 goals from her 20 attempts. Lightning defender, Fiona Fowler provided a lot of experience in the goal circle with her hands over pressure. Rebecca Winch showcased her accuracy under the post with 23 goals from 26 attempts while goal attack Mikaela Vaughan struggled with consistency sitting at 68 per cent.

City West Falcons (74) defeated Casey Demons (54)

It was a dominant display from the City West Falcons who doubled the Demons score in the opening quarter, heading into quarter time 11 goals up. But it did not stop there with the Falcons posting a 20-goal quarter in the fourth credit to their transition and solid connection down the court. The attacking flair of the Falcons and strong defensive pressure across the court allowed them to make the most of their opportunities, while the newly formed Demons struggled to combat the pressure and link up. Jane Cook was unstoppable for the Falcons with her 66 goals from 71 attempts, goal attack Tahnysha Salanoa played her part feeding the ball into the dominant shooter and putting up eight goals for the game. The Falcons kept an unchanged line-up until the last quarter when Anger Akec came onto centre and Imogen Sexton into goal defence. For the Demons, Emma Ryde was prolific with her smooth movement and strong holds in the circle posting 34 goals. She paired well with Kassidy Withers in at goal attack while wing attack Erin Bell was strong in the attacking third.

Peninsula Waves (51) defeated Ariels (39)

The Peninsula Waves were hot from the first whistle taking a seven-goal lead into half-time against the Ariels. As the game progressed the Waves nudged ahead to claim their second win of the season led by Sacha McDonald who dominated in the goal circle. McDonald used her dynamism, quick hands and accuracy to post get the Waves over the line nailing 28 goals from 33 attempts. The load was relatively even shard with goal shooter Madeline Morrison scoring 22 goals for her efforts. Kate Kelly-Oman was solid through the midcourt switching between wing attack and centre throughout the game. Ariels shooter, Sam Gooden was down on her accuracy sitting at 76 percent with 28 from 37 attempts but still carried the load for her side. Jessica Maher worked hard in defence moving between keeper and defence, while Stacey Gannon showcased her versatility rotating through goal attack, goal shooter and wing attack credit to her netball smarts and ability to influence the play.

Wilson Storage Southern Saints (42) defeated Boroondara Express (38)

The Southern Saints fought back to claim a four-goal win against Boroondara Express who held the lead early on, in the game. Thanks to a 14 goal second quarter the Saints took control of the game taking a five-goal lead into the main break. It was a tight tussle throughout the course of the game with both sides applying plenty of pressure in hope to try and win the ball back for their side. In the second quarter, the introduction of Sinead Lumsden into goal attack paid dividends with the goaler slotting 11 from 13 at 85 percent. She combined nicely with Samantha Silvester who used her clever positioning in the circle to dominate under the post shooting 25 goals. Boroondara Express displayed moments of magic and put up a fight but were unable to capitalise on their early lead. Tegan Stephenson showcased her versatility switching between goal defence and wing defence in the second half. Accuracy let the Ariels down with the team shooting average a mere 59 percent with goal shooter Clare Vearing only managing 28 goals from her 48 attempts.