Hawks win all senior games over Parrots
Drouin netballers won four of six games at Leongatha on Saturday with a 10-goal win in A grade giving the Hawks third spot on the ladder. A grade: Drouin 60 defeated Leongatha 50. The Hawks got off to a good start - an aspect of their game they have been working on.
Drouin missed a few crucial goals in the second quarter, which gave Leongatha the lead at half-time.
Once Drouin nailed those shots, the ability to convert from turnovers enabled the Hawks to kick away in the third quarter.
Highlights for Drouin included some slick ball movement in attack to a small, moving goal circle. In addition, Drouin’s all-court defensive pressure right from goal shooter to goal keeper was outstanding throughout the match. B grade: Drouin 57 defeated Leongatha 34. Drouin kept its slim finals hopes alive with a great four-quarter effort.
Immense pressure created many turnovers and allowed the circle defenders the chance to get clean intercepts.
Nat Sloan was fantastic at goal defence, sneaking in to get the low balls and bounce passes in the goal circle.
In attack, Drouin’s ball movement was precise and quick, using speed and agility to get the ball on the circle for an easy feed into the goalers.
It was great to have Jodie Proctor back from injury and the Hawks utilised her experience in attack.
Award: Nat Sloan. C grade: Drouin 56 defeated Leongatha 27. It was a great team performance with all Drouin players contributing and playing their roles perfectly.
In attack, the Hawks played with speed and swift ball movement. Their use of angles to eventually find the goalers in high percentage shooting positions was very effective.
In defence, many rotations were used but the Hawks adjusted well. They applied constant pressure all game and rebounded beautifully.
The defenders also drove the ball strongly out of defence which had been a big focus at training over recent weeks. It was a strong win in the lead up to finals. Awards: Sarah Sharpe and Georgia Henderson. Under 17: Drouin 31 lost to Leongatha 34. It was a great start to the game from the Hawks, scoring from their centre passes early on.
The tempo of the game lifted in the second quarter with Leongatha applying lots of physical pressure. Drouin’s play become a bit frantic in the quarter, succumbing to Leongatha’s game style and making it hard to find players in clear space.
Halfway through the third quarter, Drouin adjusted to the tempo of the game and started playing composed netball. They used preliminary moves to get free from their opponents.
In a tight final quarter, Drouin fought hard but just couldn’t gain the lead. Award: Lucy McKellar. Under 15: Drouin 51 defeated Leongatha 43. Drouin got the four points but it definitely wasn’t an easy game.
Whilst they had some fantastic passages of play, the Hawks girls were forced into situations that they were unaccustomed to.
To their credit, the girls worked incredibly hard to overcome these obstacles.
Ella East and Sabine Lieshout worked tirelessly to get the ball into goalers Olivia Konstanty and Brooke deRiter.
Olivia was superb in goals and her precise passing into Brooke - who was shooting with amazing accuracy - was a pleasure to watch.
Ella Gown had a tough contest in goal keeper but never gave up and got some crucial turnovers.
Lucy McKellar drove the ball out of defence and linked well with midcourters Bailey Fleming, Harri Parkinson and Macy Newcombe.
The Hawks displayed discipline in their defensive efforts to help put Leongatha under more pressure. Awards: Ella East and Olivia Konstanty. Under 13: Drouin 6 lost to Leongatha 55. Drouin had a positive match overall with all players fighting hard against quality opposition.
Facing the second placed Parrots was a daunting task but Drouin kept up their intensity throughout the match.
With the luxury of playing indoors, it was a fast and furious game which was a different experience for the Hawks girls.
Awards: Montana Lewis and Allanah Jagoe.