Round 4 Match Report

Under 8 Navy V Castle Hill Sports

As most mums and dads had hoped to get a good sleep in on Saturday after such a deluge of rain, the U8 Navy OLOL girls were playing up a storm on court 24. The diehard netball fans were there to see a very competitive game of netball, one which saw our girls defend resiliently for 4 quarters.

Whilst our attacking weapons led by Emma and Isabella continued to penetrate CHS’s defence our mid-court, driven by Lauren and Milana who held the centre well, were heavily supported by Elise and Emille at WD and WA. The midcourt worked tirelessly to get the ball into our attacking circle.

The girls at the back, rallied by Matilda’s never say die attitude, continued to defend against ongoing attacking raids. Matilda, Milana and Charley, calmly brought the ball out of defence a number of times, beginning a number of very exciting drives started in our own circle.

The girls should all be very proud of the way they played, and the sportsmanship they showed. Although they lost the game, there seemed to be a lot of fun had, and we all look forward to next week.

Under 8 Green V RAMS

Our U8 Green team were well prepared from their stunning last game and ready to replicate their impressive team work, accurate shooting and court usage. Our girls demonstrated consistent passing, excellent defence and fantastic intercepts. Alexa and Cassandra were our star shooters and worked very well together. A big congrats to all the girls who once again played a fantastic winning game...

Congratulations to Cassandra our player of the week!

Under 9 Gold V RHAC

After the insane amount of rain over the past few weeks; we had to wait for a text on Saturday morning to see if we were going to be able to even play! After not training this week due to the unpredictable weather, 9 Gold was incredibly keen to take the court. We must dedicate our win to Zoe who missed our game due to illness – it wasn’t the same without you Zoe, get well soon J

Our captain Georgia was very lucky in the pre-game toss winning first centre. With our much treasured umpire Sam on one side of the court and the associations’ Umpire Convenor Laurel on the other sideline, we were destined to have a consistent, fair game – and this it was. The girls took the court and it was clear from the first centre our team was up for any challenge RHAC threw our way!

Our stellar defence this week by Angelina, Tiara, Olivia, Mia, Georgia and Allison saw us gain possession of the ball many times from RHAC after the umpire’s “held ball” call. Our ability to stick with our player and not allow the other team to be in front is such a strong part of our team’s game this year. Well done everyone! This defensive effort has meant in the last two games our opposition has not scored a goal. More impressive this week, RHAC never even managed to get a chance to have one single shot at goal!

Mia had a fantastic game, making a consistent effort to follow her WA everywhere. During the second half of the game Mia was involved in a couple of very impressive intercepts – well done Mia! During the third quarter it started to rain, and it didn’t let up. Secretly I think the girls loved playing in the rain (even if there were a few girlish squeals) and it certainly didn’t alter the way we were playing!

Down the other end of the court our shooters Portia, Melissa and Olivia (just in the third quarter) were very busy driving forward and using fabulous passes to keep RHAC guessing what we were going to do next. Quite often our players in the middle third took the time to throw beautiful, long passes to create space and opportunities for our shooters to move around the goal circle. Congratulations to Portia for a wonderful goal and to our Player of the Match Melissa, on her four goals. Of our 21 attempts at goal this week; there were at least three that looped around the ring or were tantalising close that even the umpires threw their arms into the air in disbelief. It is so important we keep up the practise at home girls – in particular for next week as we will meet the other RHAC in our division who are accurate shooters and quick on the court! Our shooting accuracy this week was at 24%.

On a personal level, once again our team showed why we are the nicest teams in our division. During our game the GA from RHAC had a fall on the wet surface and this fall really rattled her. She spent quite a long time on the sideline and when she eventually hobbled back onto the court; our girls broke into spontaneous applause. This is the epitome of a good sport. 9 Gold you showed everyone around Court 23 that you are winners in every sense of the word.

Under 10 B1 - OLOL v's St Bernadettes - Loss 15-2

It was tough competition on Saturday, but our girls showed real determination and courage as they fought the battle to the end.

Our court play was almost equal with the opposition, which made it a fairly even game to watch, however the St Bernadette's shooters were on the mark,

not missing too many at all.

Well done to our defence, Jessica, Ella, Alex and Olivia, all worked hard to try and keep the opposition out of the circle, anticipating the intercept and sticking with their player.

Our centre court players, Caitlin, Mariana and Bea, worked tirelessly in the mid court both defending and attacking.

Our shooters Emily T, Emily S, Caitlin and Jess, worked together well in the circle and positioned themselves well against a tough and tall defence.

Well done to our team displaying such commitment, I'm sure if we had the chance to play this team again, the score line would be a lot closer.

Player of the match when to Olivia, who demonstrated sheer determination, even when things became tough. She kept on going and going, and was an inspiration to her team mates and all of us side line parents alike!!

12D1 V Glenwood - Win 6-3

Splattering rain plastered strands of hair across the faces of eight very brave and cold young women early on Saturday morning. A pre-game downpour created a channel of water down the side line and even a bit of sun in the first quarter provided little respite. Our girls were not fazed.

Tahli inspired the team, screaming at the top of her lungs, “I love playing in the rain.” This war cry served as the girl’s inspiration for the day. After a tight first quarter we grabbed a two goal lead after some good shooting from Lauryn who converted an excellent percentage. Alyssa charged down court to win possession of the ball on numerous occasions and did well against a quality opponent.

As we slowly built our score Bronte and Amy defended stoically, especially in the last quarter when Glenwood threw everything but the kitchen sink at us. Knocking passes away and creating turnovers is the speciality of these two and once again they didn’t let us down.

Zara played a terrific game at centre and combined well through the mid court on a day where slick passing was impossible due to the slippery ball and uncertain footing. Our Captain Madison was outstanding and really enjoyed a move into the circle in the last quarter where her speed and agility are obvious. Her fourth quarter aquaplane slide was a highlight.

Amazingly (I am touching my wooden desk as I speak) there were no injuries!

It was great to have Emily there with us to witness our first win for the season even though she was out for this match. We look forward to having her speed and enthusiasm on court next week.

The stress that the weather caused was considerable for the players yet the coaches suffered more than anyone. Both required a good lie down and thanks to the love and support of their partners they should recover for this weekend’s match.

A post game apocalyptic storm led to a mass exodus, a car park scramble and a wet dog smell in many cars, yet it was worth it, watching the girls pick up their first win of the season.

Coach: Bruce Wayne