MOMENTUM changes were the order of the day at Vansittart Park as the eagerly anticipated re-match between North and East Gambier hit the court in Round 7 of Western Border netball.
It was all the Bulldogs early as they built a 10-goal lead through slick ball movement in attack and some strong defensive pressure, with Brenna McKay’s height making it tough for the Tigers to find spearhead Caroline Davey in space.
The return of Lisa Fyfe was cause for celebration for Tiger fans and she started back at keeper in her first match back after tweaking a long standing knee complaint against Millicent.
East was also helped by the accurate finishing of Sarah Lock and Tenille Gray – Lock bringing her country championship form to the match, missing only one and Gray also on song, missing only three.
But in the third quarter the Tigers just seemed to step it up and while it was not the defining move, Fyfe returned to goal defence with Maddie Whaites back under the post, and the defensive pressure all over the court lifted.
The turnovers occured in transition with passing errors from East and relentless mid-court pressure from Kaitlin Smith, Amanda O’Shaughnessy, Mel Renko and Fyfe seeing the Tigers slowly eat away at the Bulldogs’ lead and by three quarter time it was North with a two-goal advantage.
The Tigers then put the foot down in the last and also built a double figure lead before East again fought back but the clock beat them and they had to settle for a disappointing seven goal loss after having such a good start to the crucial contest.
McKay and Davey had a great battle with both having an impact for their respective sides, while Lock’s accuracy and ability to find and create space was also pivotal.
The hard running of O’Shaughnessy was again on show with the Tigers centre not only being the dominant feeder on court, but also snaring some important defensive stops as well.
