Centralian1 - Netball NT

30 SPORT
TUESDAY JULY 15 2014
West end to Federal’s
run with thriller finish
Steve Menzies
NETBALL
A DRAMATIC second-half
turnaround enabled Wests
Gillen Club to snatch a onegoal win from previously undefeated A-grade team Federal
Trusty Glass.
Dani Wenske scored the
winning goal with four seconds
remaining in the Club Eastside
Alice Springs Netball Association clash.
The final score was 41-40.
“I knew it was close and
there was not much time left,
but not that it was level,” Wenske said of her match-winning
shot.
“The pressure is always
there for the shooter.
“If you don’t get the goal
you let your teammates down,
who work hard to get the ball
down to you.
“Against a team like Federal
you have to cherish every possession as they can turn the
ball over and quickly go from
defence to attack.
“Our win came from a great
team effort from everyone who
took to the court.”
Federal seemed to have
control of the game when leading 22-16 at half-time but a
number of changes by Wests’
stand-in coach Bill Adams
worked.
These included taking usual
playmakers Kathleen Carlile
and Tahlia O’Cass off the court
and moving Laureb Wapling to
centre, Georgia Sleep to wing
defence and bringing Carlie
Ryan on to goal defence.
Another change was bringing Ebony Miller on into the
attack circle after her previous
A-grade appearance this year
was as a defender.
She worked well with Wenske and while Wenske scored
17 of Wests’ 25 second-half
goals, Miller helped create the
opportunities.
Wests scored 16 goals to
seven in the premiership quarter and took a three-goal lead
into the final term.
This set the scene for an
epic contest with Federal fighting back and Wests desperately trying to hold them out.
Federal also defended grimly and restricted Wests to three
goals in the first 10 minutes
and scoring eight themselves
to lead by two.
Federal’s Savannah Tiller and Wests’ Kathleen Carlile fight for the ball in the top-of-the-table clash
But Wests lifted, including a
big rebound by former Federal
player Ryan, to score the next
five goals and lead by three
with less than two minutes left.
Federal goaled and then
Wests lost the ball on their
centre pass to allow Federal to
goal again and then level the
scores with 30 seconds left.
From the centre pass, Wests
worked the ball forward to
Wenske who calmly slotted
the ball through the net and
there was no time for Federal
to take the centre pass.
Rovers Scope defeated
Neata Glass Giants 59-15.
A highlight of the game was
14-year-old debutant Courtney
Summers scoring a goal with
her first possession.
Summers came on after
half-time, replacing Aimee
Picture: PHIL WILLIAMS
Rodda, and the side did not
lose anything with the change.
“Awesome — I loved it,”
Summers said.
Giants can take some satisfaction in that they kept trying,
the fourth quarter their best
with six goals.
Stormy
start for
season
but hopes
stay high
TERRITORY Storm had a
tough opening to the 2014
ANL season losing 33-67 to
Western Sting in Perth on Friday night.
Things did not get any better in the next two games
against
Victoria
Flames
(24-60) and Victorian Fury
(28-67) on Sunday.
But it was good experience
for young Centralian Billie
Newton who stepped up from
playing for NT in the NT 17and-under titles earlier this
year to playing in the senior
national competition.
She played in all three
games including a full game at
wing defence against reigning
ANL champions Victoria Fury.
During the game she had
Melbourne
Vixens
ANZ
Championship
premiership
player
Caitlyn
Strachan
switched on to her.
“I had a quarter against WA
and another against Flames
than started against Kelsey
Browne in the game on Sunday,” Newton said.
“The games were a lot different on court than the scores
indicate.
“We led 13-12 at quarter
time which was really, really
good.
“Kelsey was dragged at half
time and Caitlyn came on. It
felt like another game of netball – just a bit more intense.
“I was not overawed by
playing an ANZ Championship player as I was pretty confident after the first half and
did not have time to think
about who I was playing
against.
“I have not had a chance to
be debriefed by (coach) Scott
(Waddington) as it was
straight off the court and we
were running to get on the
plane.
“But Donna (assistant
coach Donna Stewart) said I
did my job.”
Territory Storm has a bye
next weekend then Newton
will he heading to Brisbane to
play NSW Waratahs and
Queensland Fusion.
Waratahs had big wins
against Canberra Darters and
Tassie Spirit at the weekend
while Fusion had the bye after
losing to southern Force by
two goals in the opening game
before defeating Tassie 67-41.
Territory Storm will play in
Darwin on the weekend of August 16 and 17.
Two-year deal: Bailey loyal to Vixens Budgies excel in Coast carnival
CENTRALIAN netball discovery Karyn Bailey has
signed a new deal with ANZ
Championship
premiership
team Melbourne Vixens for
another two years.
The decision was never in
doubt for the premiership goal
shooter who left for Manchester on Sunday to train with the
Australian Diamonds as they
prepare for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“Being part of such a successful team with amazing girls
and support staff around us
makes the decision to stay with
the Vixens an easy one,” Bailey
said. I began my ANZ Championship career with the Vixens and I couldn’t imagine
playing for anyone else, so I am
looking forward to building on
the success we have achieved
this year.”
Bailey was one of three
premiership players to put pen
to paper and will return for the
2015 season along with Madi
Robinson and Geva Mentor.
All regulars in the Vixens’
starting seven in a premiership
year, Mentor has also signed a
two-year deal with Robinson
locked in for another season.
The trio join captain Bianca
Chatfield, Tegan Caldwell and
Joanna Weston on the Vixens’
2015 playing roster.
OPPOSITION coach
and
Budgies indigenous Junior
Netball publicity officer Deb
Farrell has heaped praise on
the efforts of Alice Springs
talented pair Iesha Smith and
Rhiannon Monkerud at the
Gold Coast Netball carnival
that finished on Saturday.
Farrell said both Smith and
Monkerud have been instrumental in the Budgies ‘Gold’
team which finished fifth in the
tournament with Smith playing as goal shooter and Monkerud at centre wing.
Smith and Monkerud are
the only Territorians who are
playing in the under 16 ‘Gold’.
The team, coached by
Mary-Anne Kirk, have finished top of their pool with an
aggregate of 188 goals which is
44 more than the secondplaced team.
“As a result we were placed
into the strongest division,”
Kirk said. “Iesha and Rhiannon had outstanding games.”
‘Gold’ also consist of players
from Queensland, NSW and
the ACT. The team played in
group one, winning nine
games, losing five and having
two draws.
Injuries prevented side to
play at its best but Kirk is confident of a strong showing in
today’s finals.
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