WITH Round 7 done and dusted, the Ariels won a thriller over the Lightning, while the City West Falcons extended their winning streak. The North-East Blaze also put out a dominant performance along with the Geelong Cougars who edged ahead of the Demons to secure third place on the ladder.

Geelong Cougars (69) defeated Casey Demons (60)

The Geelong Cougars continued their hot start to the season with a nine-goal win over the Casey Demons. Geelong looked dominant from the first centre pass pushing out to a five goal lead at quarter time and then extending the margin at half time credit to some quick ball movement and accuracy under the post. But the Demons fought back hard to win a few turnovers and get within eight goals. Ruby Horton and Julia Woolley were prolific under the post, combining well to create space for one another. Horton finished with 45 goals from 54 attempts at 84 percent nailing 15 in the opening term alone. The defensive effort of Jessica Standfield and Georgette Paatsch was also impressive with both applying strong pressure on their opponents. Demons shooters, Emma Ryde, Kassidy Withers and Erin Bell all found the net. The rotations between the three did not seem to unsettle them with Ryde going at 100 percent in the first term scoring 11 straight.

Hawks Netball (41) defeated by North-East Blaze (65)

The North-East Blaze flexed their muscles with a 24-goal win over the Hawks who seemed to struggle to move the ball down the court. Blaze led at every change and backed their systems with good, slick ball movement and clever positioning across the court. The Hawks were caught on the hop unable to work their way back into the game with the Blaze applying intense pressure across the court. The main difference between the two sides was shooting percentage with the Hawks only sitting at 76 percent compared to 92 percent. Elizabeth Nicol impressed yet again with a whopping 38 from 39 at 98 percent showcasing her ability to control a game. she was assisted by Sarah Hogan and Abbey Ellis who managed 27 goals between them. The work through the midcourt was also solid with Ella Bayliss and Kali Dolphin finding good feeding positions for the Blaze. Hawks shooters Shae Gee, Tayla Shannon and Lauren Bennett shared the load around but neither could post a huge total with Shannon top scoring with 15 goals for the game.

Boroondara Express (47) defeated by City West Falcons (65)

City West Falcons added another win to the board sitting at seven from seven to kick start the year. The Falcons are going from strength to strength with their solid connections down the court on show once again. It was always going to be a big ask for the tenth placed Express who were unable to contain the Falcons who steadily built on their lead. The Falcons continuously capitalised on any loose ball picking up rebounds and getting tips credit to the work of Sarah Szczykulski and Zoe Davies in defence. While in attack Tharjini Sivalingam found the post with ease doing the bulk of the shooting with a whopping 61 goals from 63 attempts at 97 percent. For Express the likes of Clare Vearing worked hard to keep her side in the hunt with 35 goals for the match while defenders Caitlyn Degaris and Jade Forbes-Wattley had their work cut out for them, trying to stop scoring machine Sivalingam.

Ariels (51) defeated Melbourne University Lightning (47)

The Ariels claimed a nail-biting win over the Lightning only their second of the season. They came from five goals down at quarter time to mount a well-timed comeback and worked hard to maintain a lead throughout the rest of the match. Ariels piled on 17 goals in the second quarter and kept Melbourne University to eight showcasing their increased intensity. In the end, it came down to shooting percentage with the Ariels making the most of their opportunities under the post sitting at 80 percent accuracy compared to the Lightning’s 67. Stacey Gannon was influential under the post for the Ariels slotting 28 goals from 36, teammate Alex Maher also found good space in the circle posting 18 goals at 86 percent. Midcourter, Kourtnee Baird was important in attack providing good ball into the shooters and using her speed to drive to the top of the circle. The combination between Lightning defenders Gabrielle Coffey and Madeline Stewart continues to grow applying good pressure over the shot but it was not enough to worry the Ariels defenders. In attack Rebecca Winch was the most accurate with 14 from 17 at 83 percent for the match.

Wilson Storage Southern Saints (52) defeated Peninsula Waves (37)

With a 32 to 16 goal first half the Southern Saints set the tone early against the Peninsula Waves who struggled to combat the offensive and defensive pressure that the Saints were applying across the court. They worked hard in transition to move the ball with speed and precision to try and expose the defence of the Waves. Shooting accuracy proved to be a problem for the Waves with their average sitting at 63 percent unable to capitalise under the goal post while the Saints finished at 82 percent shooting accuracy. They constantly changed the attacking set up with Samantha Silvester, Chloe Wilson, Sinead Lumsden and Ella Quinlan all trying their hand in goals with Silvester top scoring with 22 goals from 26 attempts. The midcourt work from the Waves was solid with Stacie Proctor and Madison Capsalis hustling hard to win position at the top of the circle and provide their goalers with plenty of opportunities. Gabrielle Dwyer was the most prolific for Peninsula shooting 24 goals the highest for her side who struggled to convert under the post.