MILLICENT 61 d CASTERTON SANDFORD 30
IT was all about Hayley Dunn on the weekend when the star Millicent defender clocked up her 300th game as a Saint.
She has been the quiet achiever and the rock of the Millicent Netball Club’s defence line during its period of unprecedented success and on Saturday she spent three quarters showing why she has been unanimously selected in the Team-of-the-Year for the past 12 seasons.
She sat off for the last quarter in her side’s 31-goal victory over Casterton Sandford, to give the club’s young talent a chance to earn their stripes.
Long-time teammate Donna Denton did not play at all, testing the younger Saints against the Cats and they passed the test.
Paige Nitschke and Demi Verbena were unstoppable in the shooting circle as Millicent started with its usual fast-paced style, leading the Cats by 10 at the first change.
With Hannah Nitschke in centre and Lucy Denton on the attacking wing, Verbena had to play the role of general and she was impressive – not only at directing play, but also finishing accurately.
Of course, it was not just about the speed of the Saints in offence, but also the ability of the Millicent defenders to deny Casterton Sandford – which was without Christine Harris – the time or space to set up good scoring opportunities.
The Saints continued to build their lead as the match progressed and so the Cats swung the changes at the main break to try and stem the flow.
Madalene Cleary moved from the shooting circle to defence and Marlee Gartlan did the reverse, while Scarlett Jarrad moved from the centre bib to her more familiar role of wing defender.
Chelsey Galpin also earned her first A Grade appearance at wing attack and the young-gun had a strong second half to show she is up to the challenge.
Millicent also made changes, bringing Jo Grosser into the match at wing attack to add fresh legs and incredible speed to the frontline, in addition to a shuffle of players already on the court.
Nothing the Cats did was able to prevent the Saints from dominating the contest, with whatever combination Millicent put on the court finding the better of its guests.
Sharna Fidler battled hard at both goal keeper and goal defence for the Cats and was her usual tight-checking and tenacious self, creating some critical turnovers, while Tori Perry controlled the attack line and finished her infrequent opportunities with accuracy.
Jarrad continues to be a consistent performer for the Cats, while Gaby Tomkins also worked hard through the mid-court.
However, Millicent proved too strong an opponent and maintained its undefeated status for 2019.
