HART Sapphire Series Rnd 6 reviewed: Jets cut short, Bull Sharks claim first victory
Round six of the HART Sapphire Series saw the Carina Leagues Club Tigers, Gold Coast Titans and Bond University Bull Sharks claim two from two, with top-of-table upsets taking centre stage.
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Round six of the HART Sapphire Series ended with the Carina Leagues Club Tigers, Gold Coast Titans and Bond University Bull Sharks claiming two from two, with top-of-table upsets taking centre stage.
Watch the action-packed replays here with KommunityTV.
The 4pm Ruby round kicked off with the ladder-leading CLC Tigers taking on a second place TAE Aerospace Jets side on showcourt.
It was the clash fans had been waiting for.
JETS VS TIGERS RUBY SERIES
The first half remained almost goal-for-goal, with Tigers’ Emily Gage and Kaylee Tamala and Jets’ Sam Ryan and Kirsten-Lupe Tanielu sealing their shots with ease.
The Tigers were without their strongest shooting target Tia Crombie, but it did not stop them from taking a comfortable lead in the second half.
Defensive efforts from Holly Comyns and captain Georgia Bloxham in the circle gave Tigers an upper hand which they capitalised on quickly.
The final quarter proved the time for training partner Amber Yeates to make her Ruby debut as goal shooter with four minutes to play.
Yeates faced Kiara Condon and shot three goals from three attempts in her four minutes of play.
Meanwhile sisters Erin Joyce (Jets) and Sarah Joyce (Tigers) played their first game as opponents, both taking bibs in the centre court.
Despite comeback efforts, the Tigers claimed a 71-58 win and remain on top of the ladder.
JETS VS TIGERS SAPPHIRE SERIES
The 6pm Sapphire clash between Jets and Tigers took both benches by surprise as Jets failed to take an early lead.
The Ipswich side defeated reigning champions Cougars last week and had not dropped a game, while Tigers had secured only one win and were without captain Amy Somerville, who underwent meniscus surgery during the week.
Tigers brought Comyns into their line-up, capitalising on the new 11th woman rule and adding even more strength to their defensive circle.
To replace Somerville, former Sunshine Coast Lightning training partner Annie Lawrie once again took the court in Tigers colours as goal attack, while Chloe Bingham took the goal shooter bib.
The game started out as a strong contest before the underdog Tigers pulled away to win the first quarter by six.
It was a less-than-ideal start to the game for Jets head coach Paula Stewart, who was forced to make changes to her line-up to combat Tigers’ determined approach.
Jets won both the second and third quarters, but the Tigers remained a nail ahead heading into the final 15 minutes.
The scoreline seesawed in both teams’ favour throughout the quarter but it was the Tigers who defied odds and came out with a 55-53 goal win in the end.
It pushes the East Brisbane side up to fifth place on the ladder, while Jets hold onto second place behind the Gold Coast Titans.
BOND BULL SHARKS VS BRISBANE SOUTH WILDCATS
It was a fairytale round six for the Bond University Bull Sharks, who secured their first Sapphire Series win of 2023 against the Brisbane South Wildcats.
The struggling Gold Coast side pulled together as a team to win convincingly 64-51.
Head coach Rebecca Stower is glad her side could escape their losing streak before the halfway mark of the season.
“I think it was really important that we got that win,” Stower said.
“We had a tough run in our first three games, it was a bit of a welcome to Sapphire.”
It marks a major step forward for the Bull Sharks, whose return to the Sapphire competition was less than glorious.
“We needed a shift in our mindset, we were turning up and going through the motions but we didn’t have the grit or desire to win.
“We were able to play a more consistent 60 minutes of netball and that’s what we’ve been focusing on,” Stower said.
The first half was a close contest on both sides, as Wildcats managed to fight back at any chance they were given.
Bull Sharks had the upper hand by two goals going into the second half but knew the work was far from over.
Stower remained confident her girls would play a smart, strong game and come out on top.
“I never felt like we were going to lose the game, even when it would get back to within two,” she said.
“It was more about making sure we controlled the momentum of the game and didn’t give Wildcats a licence to come back into it.
“There were no magic words, just getting back to our game plan.”
It was the defensive efforts of Maddy Ryan and Ella Spencer in the circle that gave Bond the opportunity to gain a substantial lead.
“They kept working hard and turned over a lot of ball.
“It gave the rest of the court responsible to look after it,” Stower said.
Patient play from Monique Puinti through the midcourt and a shooting percentage of 91% from Kaylin Van Greunen polished off Ryan and Spencer’s handy defence work.
Stower said it was the picture of good teamwork and communication that got her side over the line.
“They came together as group, a lot more supportive and more talk.”
The Bull Sharks now look to go head-to-head with the Carina Leagues Club Tigers in round seven.
For many of the Bond line-up, it will be a reunion of old sides as four players (Tash Robinson, Monique Puinti, Ella Spencer and Maddy Ryan) are ex-Tigers.
Regardless, Stower does not believe the insider knowledge of player tactics will play a part in the scoreline.
“It’s a different line-up to when those girls were playing.
“Tigers had a lot of player movement into their Sapphire this year so I don’t think it will be an advantage or disadvantage in that regard,” she said.
“It will be a good match up … we just need to shut down their big target of Chloe Bingham and stop easy passage.
“We do have a height disadvantage so we need to do the work out the front.”
Spencer is expected to go up against Tigers’ fill-in Annie Lawrie while Ryan faceS Bingham at the post.
The match-up is already a hot topic.
“For someone like Maddy Ryan who has played her whole life at Tigers … mentally that’s got to be tough,” Stower said.
“But Maddy has found her home now, same as Tash Robinson …. they’ve both found their home with us and feel valued and we’re giving them the tools they need to be the best versions of themselves.
“They don’t need to prove anything, they just need to get out and play how they know.”
In the Ruby league, Bond gained an early lead and gradually pushed Wildcats out of contention, winning 58-36.
GOLD COAST TITANS VS SUNSHINE COAST THUNDER
The Gold Coast Titans scraped through with a seven-goal Sapphire win over the Sunshine Coast Thunder while their Ruby squad claimed a 49-30 victory.
It was not the walkover win Titans Sapphire had hope for, as majority of the match remained within three points before a last-quarter surge took some pressure off.
Thunder’s Jada Delaney went down with a mild ankle injury and was replaced by Lily McClure.
The win keeps Titans in outright first on the ladder while Thunder remain in fourth, ahead of the Tigers on goal percentage.
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