KALANGADOO was defeated for the first time since the 2015 Mid South East Netball Association A Grade home and away season on the weekend.
Hatherleigh gained the upper-hand in the early stages of the Round 11 match on its home court on Saturday and never looked back, eventually taking the honours by a convincing 25 goals.
In 2015, the Magpies were beaten on both minor round occasions by Port MacDonnell, but won when it counted – in finals – and claimed the premiership honours that same season.
Since then, Kalanagdoo has not dropped a game and has barley been contested.
Hatherleigh 68 d Kalangadoo 43
While the Magpies’ line-up has had a number of changes this year, it still has its core group of players, including Melissa Russell, Abbey Duncan and Jayde Peacock.
However, the absence of Shauni Cunningham on Saturday meant Kalangadoo was without one of its key-link players.
Tara Jeffree lined up on the attacking wing to replace Cunningham, in what was always going to be a tough game.
Just 14 goals separated the two sides in their clash at the beginning of the season in Round 2, but Kalangadoo had the services of the experiences Narelle Ryan and Kylie Schutlz on their side.
This duo watched from the sidelines on Saturday and their maturity and netball smarts was arguably missed on court.
Hatherleigh’s defenders switched from their usual positions, with Maddie Redman taking the goal defence bib in bid to keep Melissa Russell quiet, while Lara MacGregor was given the job of shutting down Abbey Duncan.
In wet and slippery conditions, the first quarter was an arm wrestle.
The Eagles were able to hold onto a slim lead at its conclusion, with Maddie Pulmer and Duncan the focal points for their respective sides, shooting nine goals apiece.
An untidy start to the second quarter made for some scrappy netball from both sides, but it was Hatherleigh which settled first.
Pressure from MacGregor, Redman and Helen Hamilton on the defensive wing made Kalangadoo’s usually smooth transition into attack difficult.
Inaccurate passes were snatched up by the trio and quickly converted at the opposing end through Pulmer and Keston Green.
Towards the end of the term, Russell and Duncan started to find their range, while the defensive pressure from the Magpies was beginning to mount and inaccuracy followed for Green and Pulmer.
Despite the shaky finish to the quarter, Hatherleigh still outscored the Magpies and increased its lead to 10 by the long break.
At half time, Kalangadoo made changes.
It switched Russell to goal shooter and brought Duncan out to goal attack, while defenders Jasmine Croser and Chloe Pratt also swapped bibs.
The match-ups at the Magpies’ offensive end remained the same, with MacGregor and Redman following suit, changing their positions to ensure the latter could continue to curb the influence of Russell.
Kalangadoo had little intention of laying down and Jayde Peacock – who battled hard with Sarah Faulkner – began to take control in the mid court.
However, the Eagles were keen to keep the lead they had worked so hard for.
Pulmer and Green found their range once again, while Redman, MacGregor and Hamilton increased their defensive pressure.
Pratt left the court late in the quarter due to the blood rule and was replaced by youngster Chelsea Croser.
The change some-what unsettled Kalangadoo, which allowed Hatherleigh to get a run-on and increase its lead by nine goals – to 18 – by the final break.
The 18-goal buffer was too much for even the Magpies to reduce.
Pratt returned to the court after three-quarter time and the game continued at a quick pace.
Hatherleigh dominated the final 15 minutes, with Kelsey Wight using her speed and creativity to feed into her goalies.
In the end, the Eagles ran out victors by an impressive 25 goals in what was a milestone game for them.
Hatherleigh’s best player honours went to both Pulmer and Wight, while Pratt and Pecock were named for Kalangadoo.
Tantanoola 63 d Kongorong 51
TANTANOOLA maintained its top four position in the Mid South East Netball Association despite a four-quarter slog against Kongorong.
The difference at the final whistle was just 12 goals, as opposed to 17 in Round 2.
The Hawks gained the upper-hand in the early stages of the game.
However, Casey Walker soon stepped up in attack and linked well with the Tigers’ goalies to bounce back into the contest.
Jessie Little caused headaches in defence for Kongorong, while Sam Loughhead and Brittany McEvoy shot with accuracy to make the most of Little’s turnovers.
Emma Rathjen was a key player in the Hawks’ two-goal lead at the first change.
The wing attack linked well with Loughhead and McEvoy.
Tantanoola’s Jami Walker worked herself into the game, which allowed Tantanoola to gain back the advantage.
Roxy Gibson have Emma Gould little room in the goal circle, while at the other end, the Tigers’ Kate Bromley – in her 150th A Grade game for the club – and Simone Little took a number of timely interceptions to allow Tantanoola to take a six-goal lead at the long break.
The Tigers injected Olivia Fuller into the contest, while Kongorong switched Kaylah Earl to wing defence and Shannon Scheidl to wing attack.
Kate Sporer worked tirelessly for the Tigers against a determined Ash Sturges.
However, the quarter was an arm-wreslte, with the lead just five at the final break.
Casey Walker pumped up the Tigers up in the last quarter and took a number of much needed interceptions, before she drove hard onto the circle where Jami Walker and Gould worked hard to convert.
A solid final quarter allowed Tantanoola to take the win, in what was a solid three-quarter effort from Kongorong.
Bromley and Casey Walker were big contributors to the Tigers’ win, while McEvoy and Little stood up for the Hawks.
Glencoe 69 d Mount Burr 52
GLENCOE has maintained its third place position on the Mid South East Netball Association A Grade ladder after a 17-goal victory over Mount Burr in Round 11 on Saturday.
The Mozzies sit just outside the top four, in fifth and two games behind Tantanoola.
Now over half-way through the season, the match was a must-win for Mount Burr, if it was to make the finals series.
A serious upset will need to take place in the final seven rounds if the Mozzies are to now break into the top four.
A shaky start to the game cost Mount Burr a chance, with Glencoe claiming a three-goal lead in the early stages of the opening quarter.
However, the Mozzies soon bounced back into the contest and went goal-for-goal with their opponent, which resulted in a three-goal deficit at the break.
All four goalies were shooting with accuracy at either end and shared the scoring duties.
Both sides started the second quarter well, with Mount Burr’s Hayley Agnew and Glencoe’s Sarah Edwards battling hard.
The Murphies’ Jenna Paproth led hard through the middle of the court and drove well onto the circle, before feeding into her goalies with accuracy.
The Mozzies’ defender Ann Guyett worked hard to limit opportunities of goal attack Chantelle Cocks, but the shooter was able to find space and finish with accuracy.
Both Cocks and her shooting partner Ebony McDiarmid shot at 100pc for the quarter, which assisted in the 10-goal half-time lead.
Mount Burr was able to cause the odd turnover through mistakes in the Murphies’ attack end, but was unable to capitalise due to unforced errors.
Glencoe continued to force the Mozzies to work hard for possession, but patience around the ring from centre Laura Schultz and wing attack Kate Nowak allowed Mount Burr to reduce the deficit to nine by the final break.
Edwards picked up her defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, which meant Ebony Clark became the focal point in the Mozzies’ goal circle.
Clark held her space well and denied Caitlin Liebich any opportunity to force a turnover.
Guyett moved to goal keeper and limited the opportunities of McDiarmid.
While Clark dominated, Cocks continued to do so in their respective goal circle, which allowed Glencoe keep hold of the contest.
Cocks again shot at 100pc to help her team capitalise on turnovers and missed shots from Mount Burr.
In the end, the Murphies increased their lead to 17 by the final whistle.
Cocks and Edwards were best for Glencoe, while Schultz and Clark put in a four-quarter effort for the Mozzies.
Port MacDonnell 59 d Nangwarry 48
PORT MacDonnell won its third match of the 2018 season when it clashed with Nangwarry on the weekend.
A close match was expected and as a result both sides came out firing.
Isabelle Sneath started for Port MacDonnell in centre, which added some height to the Demons’ mid court.
Her defensive background was valuable, while her ability to link with goal attack Megan Hein was also a key factor.
Hein moved well down court and shot with accuracy, despite defensive pressure for the Saints’ Carly Ploenges.
Nangwarry’s Teresa Stewart and Hayley Vanderhorst drove strong into attack and fed well to their goalers Cassie Dinnison and Malinda Markiewicz.
However, Brooke Hawkins and Steph Taylor were able gain a number of valuable turnovers for the Demons, which resulted in them claiming a two-goal lead at the first break.
Saints’ goal attack Markiewicz shot with accuracy, while Dinnison moved well around the ring, which gave Nangwarry the upper-hand.
But it was not long before Jess Trench had an impact on contest and created turnovers on the defensive wing.
Port MacDonnell’s goalies found it difficult to capitalise and their accuracy dropped due to the pressure from Tahlia Wilson and Ploenges.
Poor passing from the Demons’ through the mid court allowed the Saints to get within one goal by half time.
Changes were made by both sides at the break.
Trench took the centre bib, which allowed Sneath to move back to wing defence.
The change saw Trench take a number of valuable interceptions across court, which gave the Demons the upper-hand.
Nangwarry swapped Markiewicz and Dinnison and the latter played a feeding role.
Port MacDonnell played a solid 15 minutes of netball and was able to break away from the Saints to lead by nine at three-quarter-time.
While a victory looked out of reach for the Saints, they hit the court determined and prepared to battle until the final whistle.
Dinnison and Markiewicz returned to their original positions, which improved their score from the previous quarter.
However, the strength of the Demon goal keeper Hawkins made life difficult for Nangwarry.
Darcie Kuhl played more of a feeder role to Hein, who moved well around the ring.
Kuhl’s aerial strength was critical in getting rebounds as her accuracy dropped slightly, while Hein compensated to score 10 goals for the quarter.
In the end, Port MacDonnell came out on top by 11 goals.
Hawkins was a stand out for the Demons, while Kuhl also contributed to the victory.
Nangwarry’s best went to Ploenges and Vanderhorst.
