Refreshed Gulls get win
Warragul netballers had strong wins in A and B grades whilst showing plenty of improvement in the junior grades on Saturday.
A grade: Warragul 44 defeated Maffra 33.
After a week off, the Gulls were refreshed and ready to take on a determined Maffra side.
Warragul welcomed back Myah Healey after a couple of weeks away, and she didn’t put a foot out of place in the goal circle with Jaime Rollinson.
Mia McGarrity and Hayley Roberts used their speed to beat the opposition to the ring and delivered the ball extremely well in attack, which gave the Gulls a solid first half lead.
To Maffra’s credit, they never gave up and were able to reduce the margin in the second half.
Warragul will be working to put together a solid four quarters leading into a tough few weeks ahead.
Awards: Myah Healey and Mia McGarrity.
B grade: Warragul 65 defeated Maffra 42.
Warragul had a strong start with 17 goals scored in the first quarter.
Melissa Burton dominated in the goaling ring and Alanis Joyner worked tirelessly in defence against tall opponents.
Warragul continued to build on its lead from the first quarter by executing some strong attacking plays and utilising skilled junior players in Lily Sheehan and Tanae Guy.
Awards: Alanis Joyner, Melissa Burton and Eboni Wall.
C grade: Warragul 33 lost to Maffra 39.
It was first versus second as the Gulls welcomed the return of a full-strength line up for the first time since round eight.
Having been the only team to defeat Maffra so far in the season, Warragul had a psychological edge. However, the Gulls knew it would require a solid four quarter performance to get the job done again.
It was a terrific start by the Gulls, scoring the first four goals of the game. But despite Warragul seeming to have most of the play in the first half, the scores remained close.
Warragul pushed out to a five-goal lead in the third, before being overrun in the last.
Maffra’s strong finish proved they will be the team to beat this year.
Awards: Cindy Dawson and Georgia Lyons.
Under 17: Warragul 34 lost to Maffra 42.
In another close contest, the Gulls displayed some of their best netball yet in a close loss to Maffra.
Although Warragul got off to a slow start, each player put in 100 per cent effort to chip away and stay in the match.
The defensive efforts from Elodie Williamson, Grace Radford and Olivia Sheehan were brilliant and provided plenty of opportunities for the attack end.
Laura Miller, Ella Weir, Lily Sheehan and Bridie Mulqueen all provided great drives all over the court, feeding the ball beautifully into Tanae Guy and Myah Healey who were accurate in the goaling ring all game.
Awards: Elodie Williamson and Tanae Guy.
Under 15: Warragul 12 lost to Maffra 45.
After having last week off, the Gulls came up against one of the top teams on Saturday.
The girls worked hard to score against the consistent pressure from Maffra. They proved that hands over pressure throughout the whole court creates many turnovers.
Jacinta Bagot, consistently good for the Gulls in defence, had another brilliant game and received an award for her efforts. The other award went to Olivia Muir who has been a welcome inclusion for the Gulls this season.
Under 13: Warragul 25 lost to Maffra 44.
Week after week this team continue to work hard across all four quarters, put into play what they have worked on at training and impress the club with its improvement. This week was no exception.
The Gulls once again didn’t make it an easy win for Maffra, with great defence and ball movement down the court.
Awards: Mia Radford, Maggie Cook and Mackenzie Heenan.