A THRILLING overtime contest between Werrimull and Bambill resulted in an upset 52-45 win to the Magpies at Cardross Recreation Reserve.
Largely due to some good shooting, Werrimull led for most of the day but a late charge from Bambill was almost enough to steal the win.
Luckily for the Magpies, they were able to steady and send the game to overtime with the 14 minutes (seven minutes each end) of extra play enough for them to cement a spot in the 2023 Millewa Netball Association grand final against Nangiloc.
Werrimull coach Anna Marshall said that like previous battles against the Saints, the matchup was a grind.
“We finished third, so to beat Bambill today was awesome … a whole 14 minutes is a long time when you’ve given it everything for the day,” she said.
“I didn’t really have much to say to the girls before we went into overtime, just ‘Let’s push it out, it’ll be worth it in the end’.”
Centre Tara Martin was best on court for Werrimull and ran hard for the entirety of the gruelling contest.
As a team, Werrimull looked well structured with plenty of pace behind the ball and their best passing players in the front half.
Brooke Watson showed her experience and skill with a variety of different passes which provided silver service for her shooters.
This led to some nifty team work on the inside that was often finished by Aislinn Campbell, who was efficient shooting the ball.
To the Saints’ credit, they were resilient throughout and although the margin never exceeded five points aside from overtime, at times it felt like that was going to be enough for the Magpies. In the last quarter, their shooters were able to hit some important shots after a slow start with multiple misses early.
The experienced Tessa Hokamau was not afraid to alternate between playing at both ends and was inspirational at times for her side, but ultimately it was the Magpies’ day.
The Magpies will now play Nangiloc next week in the grand final.
“It’s very exciting, the girls played amazingly today,” Marshall said.
