WENTWORTH 66 d MERBEIN 43
BEST: Wentworth: A. Edwards, D. Wall. Merbein: S. Koschitzke, R. Harvey.\
THREE THINGS WE LEARNTTIGER INCOMING: Courtney Wakefield has been playing as forward for Richmond’s AFLW side, but she is back to her natural defensive netball position for Wentworth, a role in which she adds some some presence and dependability. Late in the game she executed a spoil the late Danny Frawley would be proud before accidentally toppling Melissa Kennedy. Both were OK and shared a smile after.
KENNEDY CAN DO IT ALL: Speaking of Kennedy, is there a sport she isn’t good at? Not only is she a deadly shot for Merbein’s netball side, but she has also finished as leading goalkicker in the SWFL, and knows how to find the net for Mildura City’s soccer side. She just knows how to play as an attacker in any game.
UP-AND-COMER: Young gun Molly Mangan played herself into contention for more A Grade court time. As well as playing for Wentworth’s 17 and Under team, the 17-year-old earned her place in the A and B squad, making an immediate impact when coming on during the third quarter. Coach Amanda Edwards said her performance would give her more opportunities to play in the top grade.
WENTWORTH continue to march on and established themselves as early favourites for the 2021 SFNL A Grade netball premiership.
A slick and efficient Roos side was too strong for Merbein on their home deck – with coach Amanda Edwards shooting the lights out in the 23-goal win.
While the Magpies played exciting netball in patches, the balance and experience of Wentworth proved too much to handle, with quality on display across every line.
“One of our goals is to keep pushing on when we get our lead and I think we did that really well today,” Edwards said.
“For us, it’s about winning each quarter and continuing to push forward so if we can put together four solid quarters, at the end of the day I’ll be a happy coach. To get the win is a bonus.
“We’ll be taking time out to regroup to work on different things and structures a bit more. We have interleague and then we’ve got the bye after that so we’ve got two weeks off. We’ll get a bit of R and R while we can and come back ready to go.”
Wentworth have one of the best defensive trios in the competition with Christie Becker, a returning Courtney Wakefield and recruit Natalie Vercher all playing significant roles in stopping the Magpies’ attacking thrusts.
“That’s one of our strong points. We talk about our defensive pressure a lot and those girls are gelling nicely,” Edwards said.
There is also no lack of spark or creativity through mid-court with captain Ashlee Cameron and vice-captain Demi Wall possessing the ability to move the ball at frightening speed.
While the Merbein side is not the same as the one which pushed deep into finals in recent years, there remains the nucleus of a good side. Johanna and Emily Gray provide plenty of skill and flair, Sophie Koschitzke in centre works tirelessly from end to end, and they have a tall shooter in Rebecca Harvey, who knows how to find the net.
In other A Grade matches, Imperials won a thriller against Brian Weightman Oval co-tenants Mildura by two goals, 49-47.
Meg McManus and Alle Littore were standouts for the victors, while young guns Ava Zadow and Ella Higgins almost saw their side across the line.
Irymple continued their winning ways with a 58-41 victory over Robinvale Euston, with Sherrie Giester and Shakara Delcastagne leading the charge.
Tayla Willsmore and Catherine Brown were prolific for reigning premiers Ouyen United, who rebounded from their first loss of the season to beat South Mildura 50-27.
