WITH Round 1 of the VNL completed over the weekend the Casey Demons made history claiming their first win, while the Geelong Cougars stamped their authority on the competition with a whopping 33 goal win over the Ariels.

Casey Demons (59) defeated Melbourne University Lightning (54)

In their inaugural game the Casey Demons kicked their campaign off with a bang. The Demons came out all guns blazing with star shooter Emma Ryde opening their account. She proved to hard to handle under the post shooting 39 goals from 47 attempts. She combined well with goal attack Kassidy Withers who made her presence felt in the goal circle nailing 20 goals. Emily Wilson also rotated through the goal circle in the third term. For the Lightning Kelsie Rainbow was good in the attacking third hitting the circle edge hard and fighting to win good positioning. In the goal circle Ella Bertacchini was solid netting 25 goals while goal attack Mikaela Vaughan slotted 28. Former Adelaide Thunderbirds defender, Fiona Fowler also pulled on the Melbourne University dress making her presence felt with her hands over pressure and physicality.

Peninsula Waves (47) defeated Boroondara Express (34)

In a low scoring affair it was the Peninsula Waves that got their first win on the board against Boroondara Express. The Waves pushed hard throughout the game with clever passes and strong drives across the court. After making her way to Brisbane with the Melbourne Vixens for the #TeamGirls Cup, shooter Sacha McDonald showcased her versatility starting off at wing attack before making the move to goal attack in the second quarter. She was accurate under the post scoring 13 goals from her 16 attempts, while goal shooter Madeline Morrison’s radar was off only sitting at 65 percent she still put up 27 goals. Captain, Adrienne Harris was solid in at wing defence applying plenty of defensive pressure on her oppositions. Boroondara struggled to find their connection down the court with and credit to the defensive pressure of the Waves, shooters, Isabelle Hodgson and Clare Vearing struggled to convert. Caitlyn Degaris showed her versatility moving between goal defence and wing defence while teammate Jade Forbes-Wattley rotated between keeper and goal defence credit to her strong circle defence.

Ariels (44) defeated by Geelong Cougars (77)

The Geelong Cougars dominated from the get go scoring a whopping 21 goals in the second quarter. They applied plenty of defensive pressure while their attacking prowess was just as impressive. The Ariels struggled to combat their strong play across the court, forced into errors as a result of the pressure the Cougars applied. Though the Ariels struggled, star shooter Sam Gooden stood tall in the goal circle with 30 goals from 33 percent shooting at a whopping 91 percent. Inaccuracy seemed to plague Stacey Gannon and Beth Wilson who only managed 14 goals between them. Kourtnee Baird used her attacking skill to move between wing attack and centre for the Ariels. The Geelong Cougars put out a four-quarter performance led by the likes of Ruby Horton who proved to be unstoppable under the ring. Horton nailed 56 goals, while Julia Woolley slotted 17 goals from her 22 attempts. Vanessa Augustini highlighted her versatility rotating between wing attack, centre and goal attack throughout the game.

Wilson Storage Southern Saints (43) defeated by North East Blaze (59)

After a relatively even start the North East Blaze pushed ahead credit to a 30 goal half. Though the Southern Saints had some good moments throughout the game they were unable to keep up their intensity dropping off in the second half. North East dominated under the post with a whopping 90 percent shooting accuracy credit to Elizabeth Nicol. Nicol’s smooth movement in the circle and ability to open up the angles allowed her to get into good positions finishing the game with 54 goals to her name. Defensively Kaitlyn Black and Tayissa Coppinger combined well in the circle, while the introduction of Georgia Bowkett in the last quarter was seamless applying plenty of hands over pressure. For the Southern Saints, Kirsty Clarke and Stephanie McNay worked hard in defence to try and quell the influence of the Blaze shooters but it was to no avail. Ella Quinlan was a shining star shooting 18 goals at 100 percent.

Hawks Netball (57) defeated by City West Falcons (68)

The City West Falcons did not seem to skip a beat coming out hot against the Hawks to kick start their 2019 campaign. However, there were no statistics recorded for this game except for the end result.

Round 2 will begin tonight, Wednesday 3 April, with three games hosted at the State Netball Hockey Centre in Parkville, with the final two matches hosted on Friday 5 April (Mentone Grammar) and Saturday 6 April (Patterson River SC).

April 3, 2019 – SNHC
7:00 pm Geelong Cougars vs Hawks
8:20 pm MU Lightning vs DCNE Blaze
9:40 pm City West Falcons vs Casey Demons

April 5, 2019 – Mentone Grammar
6:00 pm Southern Saints vs Boroondara Express

April 6, 2019 – Patterson River
6:00 pm Peninsula Waves vs Ariels