Hawks glide into final

THE Northern Hawks have solidified their place in the Tasmanian Netball League 2022 grand final after a close win over F45 Cavaliers at the Silverdome this weekend, while Cripps Waratah have defeated the Kingston Blues and earned a spot in the next qualifying semi-final.

The undefeated Hawks team encountered a strong challenge from Cavs, and the scores remained close right from the first whistle, with Hawks ahead by only one point at quarter- time.

As the match progressed, Hawks utilised their speed and creativity off the line to extend the margin to 47-40 at threequarter time.

And despite a strong fight back from Cavs, they prevailed 58-55 to secure their spot in the grand final.

Hawks head coach Kellie Woolnough highlighted the intensity of the game and praised the team’s cohesiveness and tenacity throughout the match and across the court.

“Both teams came out of the blocks hard and it was a high intensity game right until the end,” she said. “Our team’s defensive pressure was a highlight and we were patient and provided options in attack.”

Saturday’s match also marked the 150th game of Cavs’ Deanna Wadley, the third athlete from the club to mark this milestone in 2022.

Cripps Waratah also prevailed this weekend, taking out Kingston 56-48 at the Hobart Netball and Sports Centre.

The loss for Kingston marks the end of their 2022 TNL campaign.

Cripps head coach Aaron Pidgeon emphasised the team’s focus on remaining true to their brand of netball.

“We were just focused on trying to play our brand of netball and be less worried about trying to counteract the opposition,” he said.

“Kingston played really well and made us lift our standards and intensity which was great.

“We will remain pretty focused on ourselves leading into next week.”

Cripps will take on Cavs next weekend to play for the second spot in this season’s grand final.