SFNL Netball Round 5 Recap
By Hugh Maclean
2018 marked the first year since the inception of the SFNL competition that Dingley missed the grand final, and they appear to have taken it quite personally. In round five they marked themselves as clear premiership favourites for 2019, whilst the defending premiers showed signs of getting the wagon rolling in the right direction once more.
Dingley v Oakleigh District
Dingley 59 (Elle Rice 32, Monique Lenehan-Moustafa 27), defeated Oakleigh District 29 (Gabby Dwyer 24, Bayley Mifsud 5)
Oakleigh District came into the match depleted by injury and absence which deprived them of shooters Nat Billings, who will miss the remainder of the season, and Bella Riddell. They gave a first start to newcomer Sarah McCabe, who sadly lasted less than a quarter before collecting a match-ending ankle injury. As if this were not enough, they encountered a hungry Dingley line-up in no mood to take any prisoners.
The first quarter was competitive enough, with Dingley good enough to answer a spirited challenge before taking an 11-8 quarter time lead. It was the second quarter where the Dingo girls began to assert their authority. Oakleigh tried to move the ball long and quickly into their goal circle but found their passes continually picked off by excellent defenders Emily Kay and Chloe Sinclair, and the ever-reliable Alicia Wise at wing defence. Dingley, conversely, kept their passes short, and their attacking structure and quick hands were too much for the willing but overworked Oakleigh defence to counter.
If a 29-15 half time scoreline didn’t end the match as a contest, another early third-quarter barrage from Dingley certainly did. They were still prepared to work hard to intercept any Oakleigh attacking raids and, despite the best efforts of the likes of Zali Mifsud and the hard working Jaya Blandthorn, held firm control over the middle of the court. A 43-24 three-quarter time advantage bore testimony to the Dingley dominance, and with the Dingoes still running on top of the ground as Oakleigh tired, the carnage continued until the final siren completed the day’s proceedings.
Mordialloc v St Pauls
Mordialloc 40 (Kaylah Loulanting 24, Grace Molloy 16) defeated St Pauls 28 (Renee Derimboglou 15, Grace Healey 13)
After three straight losses Mordialloc came to the courts this day looking like a team with a serious point to prove. It was a plucky St Pauls that were unfortunate enough to come up against a wounded 2018 grand finalist for the second week running, and despite breaking even after quarter time, could not undo the damage caused by a dominant Mordialloc opening quarter.
From the outset Mordialloc’s game plan revolved around moving the ball quickly whilst restricting St Pauls’ space when not in possession. St Pauls, conversely, favoured a more measured approach, trying to take the sting out of the game by slowing the pace. A 15-3 quarter time score reflected Mordialloc’s success in implementing their tactics. In the second term, however, St Pauls came back into the game. Annaliese Hughes moved back to goal keeper and halved Kaylah Loulanting’s output, and with Caitlyn Lewis and Tayla Walsh bringing some organisation to their attacking play, the Saints won the quarter to go to oranges 23-14 down.
Here though, Mordialloc set aside their third quarter curse to regain control. St Pauls came out to start the third quarter as though they meant business, and with Mordialloc upping their workrate in kind there was a good intensity to this game. It was Mordialloc though that had the edge in polish, and took the momentum to the final break, with the de Garis sisters in particular leading the charge. St Pauls, to their credit, fought out the full four quarters, but a fourteen goal three quarter time deficit was always going to be too much to pull back. This was not a vintage Mordialloc performance by any means – there were still inconsistencies of intensity within the match – but the Reds coaches will be happy that a step has been taken in the right direction.
Heatherton v Cheltenham
Heatherton 53 (Beth Wilson 33, Lauren Spinks 12, Charlotte Howard 8) defeated Cheltenham 36 (Annabelle Gorman 31, Alex Siedle 5)
Heatherton came off a round four bye to face a Cheltenham side smarting after facing a searching examination from a rampant Dingley. After one of the best first halves seen in the 2019 season thus far, it was Heatherton that took control to post a convincing win.
Both sides converted their opening centre pass before the defensive structures were properly set. The industrious Meg Siedle and Emma Valeri looked dangerous for Cheltenham early, but Emma Thompson and Courtney Osborne came into the game as the quarter continued, and with both sides going goal-for-goal for the first fifteen minutes the siren went with the score at 12-12. Nothing changed in the second term, but with Heatherton starting to control the mid-court to provide ample ammunition the Beth Wilson-led Heatherton goal circle began to seize the initiative. The final four goals of the half meant that Heatherton went to the main break 25-20 to the good.
There was no let up in the third term. Indeed the pace went up a notch as Cheltenham attempted to claw their way back into the match. Unfortunately for them they could not restrict the black and white tide as Kali Dolphin in the centre put on a virtuoso performance. Heatherton doubled Cheltenham’s tally in the third quarter to turn for home with a twelve goal lead, and after an early start to the team the Rosellas could not reel in the deficit. Cheltenham began to tire noticeably in the final seven minutes, and despite the team leaders valiantly attempting to rally the troops Heatherton finished too strongly in a performance that would have pleased their coaches.
Points Table: Dingley 16; Heatherton, Oakleigh District 12; Mordialloc, Cheltenham 8; Caulfield 4; St Pauls 0
Division 2
Oakleigh District were given an early scare by a game Mordialloc side, conceding a one-goal quarter time lead. The Oaks had regained control by half time however, and ran riot in the second half to post a 44-19 win. Murrumbeena’s Jessica Ryan and St Kilda City’s Amy Byrne posted 30 goals each, but it was Murrumbeena that were able to overturn a two-goal three quarter time deficit to run out 45-42 winners in a pulsating clash. Cheltenham were able to overcome a second-quarter injury to key defender Amber McHenry, to defeat Dingley by 41-35 in a see-sawing encounter. Heatherton’s three-pronged attack was too good for Keysborough, winning all four quarters convincingly in a dominant 53-28 victory. Ladder leaders Caulfield had the bye in round five.
Points Table: Caulfield 10 (4 matches played); Heatherton, Oakleigh District, Murrumbeena 12 (5); Cheltenham 10 (5); Dingley 3 (4); Keysborough 2 (5); St Kilda City 1 (5); Mordialloc 0 (5)
Division 3
Murrumbeena took control of their clash with Dingley in the third quarter, but had to withstand a spirited comeback from the Dingoes in the last quarter before closing out a 45-43 win. They are headed on the competition table only by Doveton Eagles, for whom Erin Wolffenbuttel netted 33 times in their 52-29 win over St Pauls. Kelsey Eade trumped this performance by scoring 34 of Cheltenham’s goals in their 37-22 win over Black Rock, for whom club stalwart Dani Forward played her 100th match. Frankston Dolphins controlled their match all day against Caulfield, posting a convincing 42-19 win, while St Kilda City levelled the scores by three-quarter time after South Yarra had taken an early lead, before taking a 39-36 victory at the Peanut Farm.
Points Table: Doveton Eagles, Murrumbeena, St Kilda City 12; South Yarra 10; Frankston Dolphins 8; Caulfield 5; Cheltenham 4; Dingley, Black Rock 2; St Pauls 0
Division 4
Bentleigh got their points tally underway, having dropped from division three, with a strong last quarter giving them a 32-30 win over Springvale Districts. Table-topping CPL had a field day against an under-strength Oakleigh District, winning by 58-29. Doveton Eagles won the first quarter against Mordialloc, but that’s all that they won as the Reds kept up the chase of CPL by winning 38-24. Heatherton’s Jordyn Elgin scored 36 goals against East Brighton, but just as influential was Jaimee Hayes in keeping Felicity Dawkins to a tally of 29 as Heatherton won by 43-35. Clayton won every quarter against Keysborough to get their points tally started, with the final score being 45-27. St Kilda City had the bye this week.
Points Table: CPL 14 (5 matches played); Mordialloc 12 (5); Doveton Eagles 4 (2); Heatherton, East Brighton 6 (4); Oakleigh District 6 (5); St Kilda City, Bentleigh, Clayton 4 (4); Springvale Districts 4 (5); Keysborough 2 (5)
Division 5
Lyndhurst asserted their physical superiority over Mordialloc, streaking away in the last quarter to post a 37-21 victory, while Aspendale Arrows killed Dingley with speed, overturning a five-goal half time deficit to win by 48-44. The second quarter did the damage for South Yarra in an otherwise even game against Doveton Eagles, with the Lions winning by 38-30. Cara Dawson’s 32 goal haul was matched by Michelle Simiona’s 34, but Hampton had too much back-up as they beat Lyndale by 44-37. St Kilda City were a little too good for Bentleigh after an even first quarter, with City winning by 33-23. Caulfield had the week’s break.
Points Table: Hampton 14 (5 matches played); Caulfield 10 (4); Lyndhurst 8 (4); Aspendale Arrows 10 (5); Doveton Eagles 6 (3); South Yarra 8 (5); St Kilda City 5 (5); Dingley 4 (5); Mordialloc 2 (5); Lyndale 0 (4); Bentleigh 0 (3)
Division 6
An excellent defensive display from Dingley allowed them to win all four quarters in defeating East Brighton by 23-11. In contrast, Heatherton were too strong in attack for St Kilda City, with shooters Vanessa Pope and Verity Sheppard going goal-for-goal as they won by 45-24. Doveton Eagles kept Lyndhurst to one solitary goal in the first quarter, and while the Lightning came into their own as the match progressed the first term was decisive as the Eagles won by 44-34. Murrumbeena were challenged by Parkdale Vultures before overtaking them in the final stanza on their way to a 36-28 victory, while Springvale Districts only put their game against Highett to bed in the late stages, their winning margin being 35-29. Caulfield had the bye.
Points Table: Murrumbeena 10 (5 matches played); Doveton Eagles 6 (3); Parkdale Vultures 8 (5); Heatherton 6 (4); Springvale Districts 6 (5); Caulfield 4 (4); East Brighton, Dingley 4 (5); Lyndhurst 2 (4); Highett 4 (5); St Kilda City 0 (4)
Division 7
Mordialloc had a dirty day against Hampton, with the Hammers thumping the Reds by 68-10 on the back of Caitlyn Ewing (35 goals) and Ellise Heitmann (23). Chelsea Sketcher contributed 31 to Springvale Districts’ 58-32 win over Hallam, while in a good day for the shooters; Bridie McGuire scored 35 for Skye as they beat St Kilda City by 51-31. Isabel Prosser trumped them all by netting 40 times for South Yarra in their 65-25 win over Cheltenham, while Keysborough relied on the strength of their defence in their 38-16 win over CPL. There was no match for Heatherton this weekend.
Points Table: South Yarra 12 (4 matches played); Hampton 14 (5); Skye, Springvale Districts 12 (5); St Kilda City 7 (5); Mordialloc 4 (5); Hallam 2 (4); Keysborough 1 (4); Heatherton 0 (4); CPL, Cheltenham 0 (5)
Division 8
Frankston Dolphins won every quarter in a clinical display, beating Caulfield by 27-16. Cheltenham were similarly strong in their solid 35-12 win over Bentleigh, while Lyndale were too good for St Pauls to the tune of 44-18. Dingley shared the goals around in their convincing 49-21 win over South Yarra. The best match of the day though was that between Doveton Eagles and Dandenong. This was a nip and tuck affair with first one side and then the other taking a small advantage, before the final siren sounded with the Eagles prevailing by 31-30.
Points Table: Cheltenham, Dingley 12; Dandenong, Doveton Eagles 8; Frankston Dolphins, South Yarra 6; Bentleigh 4; Caulfield 2; Lyndale, St Pauls 0
Division 9
Highett and Mordialloc opened proceedings on Thursday night, with Highett skipping away to an early break which Mordialloc reined in by three quarter time. Highett then hit back in the last term to win by 27-25. Murrumbeena put in a very competitive display against Hampton, but the Hammers were able to hold sway in every quarter bar the last in winning by 37-25. Table topping Parkdale Vultures were too strong against Dingley, winning by 32-17, while Hampton Park asserted their authority after an even first quarter against Oakleigh District in their 39-29 victory. Black Rock scored the biggest win of the round in defeating Lyndhurst by 64-8, with Sandra Dwelly scoring 36 of the 64 goals.
Points Table: Parkdale Vultures 10 (4 matches played); Hampton Park, Hampton 12 (5); Black Rock 10 (5); Murrumbeena, Highett 8 (5); Oakleigh District 4 (5); Dingley 2 (5); Mordialloc, Lyndhurst 0 (5)
Division 10
Clayton conceded a six-goal quarter time lead to Springvale Districts Blue, but came home with a wet sail to win by 36-32. Hampton relied on a dominant last quarter to see off the challenge of Doveton Eagles by 30-19, while Keysborough’s early lead was enough to cope with the threat posed by Dandenong, winning by 28-24. Hampton Park were behind at three quarter time but had too much petrol in the tank for Oakleigh District, knocking the Oaks off the top of the table by winning by 25-23. A ten-goal third quarter by Laura Finkelde and a sterling defensive display from Ella Pollard and Catherine Bechaz were enough for Heatherton to defeat Springvale Districts Red by 37-21.
Points Table: Hampton 12 (5 matches played); Oakleigh District, Clayton 8 (4); Heatherton 10 (5); Keysborough 6 (5); Hampton Park, Springvale Districts Blue, Doveton Eagles 4 (5); Springvale Districts Red 2 (5); Dandenong 0 (5)
