OKAY, this is going back a bit (sorry, kids), but anyone remember the non-alcoholic beverage Claytons – ‘the drink you have when you are not having a drink’, according to a popular ad campaign of the late 1990s.
Well, that’s what a draw is in sport – the result you have when you are not having a result.
Depending on your sporting code, you do get a number points but at the end of the day, it’s not a win nor a loss – just a good or poor substitute depending on your perspective.
That’s what the coaches had to spin after a thrilling 50-50 tie between hosts Irymple and Red Cliffs at Henshilwood Reserve on Saturday after the Tigers’ gun shooter Zara Copley nailed the tying goal after the siren.
The Swallows led early but were hauled in by Red Cliffs and trailed by six points going into the final term before rallying and hitting the lead 48-47 with time rapidly ticking away.
The crowd cheered every late play as nervous mistakes began to creep in on both sides and turnovers matched goals until Copley stalemated the encounter and left players and fans bemused.
“It was a really good, tough game … good for netball,” Red Cliffs’ coach Romany Bowen said of the tense encounter.
“I’m OK with that draw. It was a high scoring game and Irymple are third on the ladder and our other draw was against Mildura and they among the top sides so it shows that’s where we should be as well.
“We just have to win the ones we should be winning instead of win, loss, win, loss.
“We need to tie (no pun intended) two weeks together, but we are still focussed, and we have a goal in mind for the season, and we are still on track.
“Of course, our goal is finals but just to do our best and improve on last year and set goals for each other, weekly goals which contribute to the long-term ones.”
As for the stress of such encounters, Bowen said she was not immune.
“Every game is stressful for me, so I need to calm down. I am telling them to calm down and it’s actually just me,” she said.
“We need to address holding our leads and not getting too excited with what we need to do. We knew they would come, and we just had to hold our own. Zara was brilliant enough to get that goal on the siren. I’d rather the draw than the loss by far.”
Irymple coach Shelby Trigg said she was also a bundle of nerves.
“It was very stressful, especially being trapped down in that (forward) one third of the court.
“You just want to be a cat on a hot tin roof and run, run, run … but you just have to stay there in your circle.
“The main thing you can focus on is having possession of the ball and maintaining it and capitalising on any errors they make but unfortunately in that last minute there was some silly stuff.
“But I was really proud of the way we were able to bounce back and stay in the fight. And in that last quarter to hold on and stay composed.
“I don’t know if I have ever played in a draw before. It feels a bit funny. Obviously the four points would have been a lot more useful than the two, but we’ll take it. I am happy with where we are sitting,” she said of her team’s third placing on the ladder.
Copley, and wing attack Morna Naquto were named the Tigers’ best, but newcomer Iliseva Sovau was also a standout in defence.
Defender Kasey Caristo was chosen Irymple’s top player along with goal attack Tarlia Couzner, while Samantha Garraway impressed in the forward circle before being thrown back to defence late in the final term.
| Irymple | 50 |
| Red Cliffs | 50 |
| BEST: | |||
| Irymple: Kasey Caristo, Tarlia Couzner. | |||
| Red Cliffs: Zara Copley, Morna Naquto. | |||
