MERBEIN kept their finals hopes alive with a come-from-behind 48-35 win against Red Cliffs in their SFNL A Grade netball clash at Quandong Park.
The Magpies were behind by a goal at half-time on Saturday, but a 15-4 third-quarter blitz helped set up a win that kept Breigh Hammet’s fifth-placed team in the hunt for a top-four berth with only three rounds left.
The 7-6 Pies are locked in a tight four-way battle for third and fourth as they sit narrowly behind third-placed Irymple (7-6-1) and Ouyen United (fourth, 6-5-2).
The biggest loser of the weekend was South Mildura (6-6-2), who fell from third to sixth after stumbling against the Kangas.
Hammet said her team would need to overcome poor starts to compete with the league’s best.
“We’ve been getting into a bad habit of slow starts. It finally came together in the second half when we made a few changes, and it settled us down in the goal circle,” she said.
“It is hard when the shots aren’t dropping and the players then put it on themselves.
“Emily Gray through wing attack made a huge difference bringing it down for us. We just need to put all that good stuff together over four quarters.”
The Magpies’ run to the finals includes games against lowly Imperials, top guns Wentworth and a potentially crunch top-four clash with Irymple.
“We’re still in the mix and chasing,” Hammet said.
“If we can get to the point where we put the full four quarters like we did in the last Irymple game, then we’ll be good.
“We just can’t play catch-up, especially against the top teams.”
The Magpies were best served on Saturday by the Sophies, Kroehn and Gray, along with Emily Gray.
For Red Cliffs, who remain winless this season, Jazmin Parker and Jacqulyn Bell once again stood tall.
