MILDURA all but sealed an A Grade top three finish and the all-important finals’ double chance after a hard-fought victory over Irymple at the Brian Weightman Oval courts at the weekend.
In a low-scoring encounter, due in part to a blustery cross-court breeze but mainly to elite defence at both ends, it took the hosts late into the final stanza before they could shake off the Swallows’ game challenge.
While leading from the start to the final siren, fewer than a handful of goals separated the combatants at each break before the Demons pushed the final margin out to six, 42-36.
“Irymple’s always a tough game; they are a great side,” said Dees’ co-coach Jessica McNamara after more than an hour of toil in defence.
“It’s lovely to come across them, it’s great competition for us.”
With four games to play after this week’s interleague bye/break, Mildura are second on the ladder with an eight-point break over third-placed Irymple, but McNamara was blithely unaware of her team’s comfortable position.
“I don’t look at the points standings,” she said. “I rock up, play and we try to win as many as we can. Towards finals I might look at it.”
After a refreshing holiday in the United States and Canada, star shooter McNamara has returned to the game at the other end of the court.
“I got back from my break, and we (herself and co-coach Ava Zadow) thought we’d give it a bit of a shake-up, it’s good we are so versatile,” she said of the coaches’ positional swap.
“If something does happen, I can always flip forward and Ava back to defence. I prefers goals, but only because I have done that my whole life. You can put me in centre, you can put me anywhere and I’ll play it.”
Her fellow defender Sharon Watson was in sublime form on Saturday and ranked among the Dees’ best along with midcourter Katelyn Challis.
“I enjoy playing with ‘Shaz’, we have a bit of a laugh at the same time,” McNamara said. “We just talk random stuff … have a bit of a giggle and move on.
“She had a great read of the ball today and picked off a lot of passes and Katelyn as well, but it moves down the whole court and it was an overall team effort.”
Irymple coach and shooter Shelby Trigg was also upbeat about her side’s performance despite the loss.
“We had a few changes,” Trigg said. “We were missing a defender, Kasey Caristo, as she had COVID all week, but that’s how it goes.
“We knew it was going to be hard, but it was a good contest and there are plenty of positives we can take from it. I am not disappointed at all.
“There were ebbs and flows – patches of good play and patches of bad play that shouldn’t happen, but I guess it’s back to the drawing board at training and plenty to work on.”
Fellow goalscorer Tarlia Couzner, Shakara Delcastegne and defenders Samantha Garraway and Alice Leeder led the way for the visitors, and they will need to maintain that form as the Swallows face indomitable Wentworth and likely finalists Red Cliffs straight after the break.
“We’ve got a few exciting rounds of netball to come,” Trigg said. “Lots of good challenges.”
