WENTWORTH 45 d OUYEN UNITED 42
BEST: WENTWORTH: N. Vercher, D. Wall. OUYEN UNITED: A. Morrish, T. Willsmore.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNT
CAP CONUNDRUM: The salary-cap has reared its head in netball, albeit at national league level, with the West Coast Fever being penalised 12 premiership points for breaches before the first whistle was even blown. Now you might think that at community level the cap isn’t much of an issue, at least not yet. Well, you better think again. Interestingly, a premium footballer, who would attract a payment at the top end of the spectrum and playing at a club in a league not too far from the Mallee, is receiving a rather paltry amount for his efforts. But his girlfriend, who is an A Grade netballer, is collecting a remuneration package that would make most footballers green with envy!
DEFENDER PLAYING SWIMMINGLY: A new arrival in the Wentworth side that will boost their depth is goal keeper Natalie Vercher from Melbourne. “This is my first season and I’m happy with today’s win,” Vercher said. “We came down to win and we set up a winning style game that would get the job done.
“QUALITY ON DISPLAY: Wentworth and Ouyen United are quality sides and should feature in the finals. After Saturday’s loss the Kangas have slipped to fourth but there are no real concerns from the reigning premiers. They are far from settled and still exploring options, but if the league standard is similar to last season they need to be mindful not to lose too many early games.
IT was an eagerly awaited clash of two titans of Sunraysia netball and not only the match of the round but possibly the game of the season at Underbool.
Ouyen United, the defending champions, facing off against a threatening Wentworth side more than capable of upsetting the home team.
And few courtside before the first pass were daring enough to predict the outcome.
Their last meeting was the premiership decider and on that day in 2019, the Kangas withstood a torrent of attacking plays from the Roos to claim their first A Grade pennant – it was a win of total commitment and a lifelong memory for the Mallee girls.
At the weekend, the Roos set the pace and – after an even first quarter – the visitors held a four-goal break which blew out to seven at the last change, and the Kangas suddenly looked vulnerable.
But the home side made a few positional changes that worked.
Megan Jardine came on and went to centre while Casey Crothers went to the bench and coach Kyra Nathan was thrown into wing attack.
Jardine and Nathan were instrumental in a few critical intercepts which saw the Kangas draw level with not more than five minutes on the clock.
Their efforts had maximum impact with Tayla Willsmore (17 goals) and Ash Morrish (21) scoring and unshakeable under the ring when it mattered.
The Roos stayed resolute in a torrid final few minutes though, with Amanda Edwards (34) also deadly accurate.
“It was a good game – we had a strong start and I was happy with our effort,” Edwards said.
“Ouyen United is a quality team and we knew they’d come back hard but we stuck to our goals.”
Wing attack Demi Wall was an absolute dynamo for the visitors. She’s built like a whippet and could disappear behind the goal post but she showed unmatched tenacity at every contest.
However, she sat out the third quarter after hitting the deck and skinning her knee in an attempt to keep possession of a loose ball.
“We knew Ouyen United would be tough – they are a great team,” Wall, who also plays basketball, said.
“Our spread was good and we kept looking for the best option today.”
The Kangas’ unflappable Casey Crothers was upbeat despite the loss.
“We made a few changes – Kyra to wing attack and Megan into the centre were game changers for us,” Crothers said.
“We’re not walking away too disappointed – we’re still making adjustments and Cat Brown was out today (but) Wentworth brought a good defensive style and they played well.”
