Townsville Premier League netball round 5: Three instant-classic thrillers
Round 5 delivered the best Premier League action of the season so far with three instant classics going down to the wire. Catch up on all four games and find out which players starred.
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It was billed as the battle of the bigs on Monday night as the Premier League’s two tallest shooters Grace Parker and Mackenzie Linton went head-to-head when Saints faced the Burdekin Silverlinks in a rematch of the Pre-Season Cup final.
But it proved to be so much more than that, with reigning premiers Saints holding on to win 55-54 in an edge-of-your seat thriller.
It was one of three nailbiting contests in round 5 that had scores within a goal during the fourth quarter.
Saints coach Jillian Joyce said the impact of rising star Rose Munokoa moving from GK to WA at halftime ultimately made the difference.
“I thought that we needed some calmness and stability coming through there and we know that she’s that reliable,” Joyce said.
“She’s just a fantastic calming influence and her instinct on the feed is probably one of the best in the competition and it’s something that we don’t get to utilise much when she’s in the defensive end.”
Saints enjoyed a red-hot start and carried a 16-9 lead into the first break but Linton made her impact felt in the second quarter as Burdekin snatched the lead with a 12-4 run.
The Silverlinks shooter finished with 46/49 goals including a stunning 15/0 third quarter.
Burdekin led most of the third quarter but let a two-goal lead slip away with five minutes to go with the Saints circle defence of Jenna Green and Chelsea O’Neil refusing to allow any easy goals.
Saint GA Abbey Pearson commanded a leading role down the stretch, scoring clutch goals when called upon and finishing 22/30. With scores locked at 54-all in the final minute, it was Pearson who calmly put her team in front and set up the frenetic finish.
Burdekin had the centre pass and threw everything forward but a Jenna Green intercept as time elapsed sealed the result.
Joyce credited her team for holding on against a Silverlinks outfit that were proving to be real Premier League contenders.
“Our full-court defence tonight was outstanding and you can’t stop someone like Macka (Mackenzie Linton) if you’re just relying on your keeper,” Joyce said.
“Credit to that Burdekin team, they are well coached and well drilled and they are a true team.
“There is no big, outstanding player in there – I know everyone kind of goes Macka (Linton) at the back, but to me the brains behind that (team) are just unquestionable.
“Cara (Trindle) was the difference for them. Every time she came on they got five or six-goal runs on us, so it’s just proving that it’s not all speed and young kids.
“The game in this region needs people like Cara – her brain, both on and off the court, coaching it.”
HIGHLANDERS v RUNAWAYS
Highlanders almost let a convincing halftime lead slip away as Runaways surged home to finish just behind, 46-45.
The girls in red and green were first out of the box and raced to a handy lead thanks to sharp work in and around the circle from GA Carly Perso and GS Sophie Watson.
But a 12-point advantage at the major break was worn down in the second half as Runaways turned up the heat on their opponents, cutting the lead to two goals with six minutes to play.
Every goal had that much more meaning down the stretch as both teams threw everything they had at a result. Emotions were high and Runaways looked like they would storm home to snatch victory with their fast play.
Highlanders struggled to create any more than a one-goal buffer but refused to allow the match-tying goal and held possession for the entirety of the final minute as they closed it out.
Runaways GK Kelyse James – the younger sister of GS Jorja James had a great game, especially considering she is working her way back from a long-term injury lay-off.
Highlanders shooter Watson finished with 32/43 goals, though a 4/6 final quarter was brutal to her shooting percentage.
MARIAN VIXENS v FNAE
Marian Vixens pulled away from the First Nations Academy of Excellence (FNAE) Roos in the final quarter to claim a 42-37 triumph.
It was a close game that could have fallen either way but in the end Marian Vixens’ experience won out.
Mixens got off to an unsettled start while the Roos were playing with confidence and the teams traded blows throughout the back-and-forth game.
Although they haven’t been getting the results they’re chasing, Marian Vixens proved they’re still more than capable of winning without star goalscorer Amity Bugeja.
Goal shooter Tayla Oshyer scored 16/20 first-half goals and finished 23/34 while GA Grace Bloomfield contributed an accurate 15/20.
The Mixens circle defence continued to stand tall and Charlie Duke and Maddy Ryan are quickly becoming one of the toughest regular pairings to play against.
Roos centre Tarna Stewart had a fantastic game as did the shooting rotation of Sonnyanne Raggett (17/23), Danielle Major (7/10) and Shakiah Stafford (13/18).
NEPTUNES v PHOENIX
Neptunes turned a close game on its head with a third-quarter blitz to defeat Phoenix 41-29.
A whisker couldn’t split the two sides for most of the contest, locked at 8-all and then 17-16 at the first two breaks, but a huge defensive half from Neptunes allowed them to pull away with a 16-6 third quarter.
Phoenix were contained to just 13 second-half goals while Neptunes scored freely through GS Rebecca Symons (30/36). Symons led the charge just after halftime with 15/16 third-quarter goals.
The Phoenix midcourt had impressed early with Cate Rose and Mischa Oliver acting as a perfect conduit between attack and defence, but the team couldn’t keep up the pace for the full 60 minutes.
Lots of active hands in defence made it tough to move the ball up the court for both sides but uncharacteristically poor shooting from Phoenix (43%) let them down in a close game.
TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN TEAM OF THE WEEK
GS: Mackenzie Linton (Burdekin) – You simply can’t ignore Linton when she’s at her best, and she certainly was again on Monday night with 46/49 goals.
GA: Carly Perso (Highlanders) – Probably Perso’s best game of the season in terms of both shooting and distribution. The tall GA played a key support role to Sophie Watson and chipped in with 10 first-half goals.
WA: Rose Munokoa (Saints) – Huge performance from the Kirwan High student. Was given the difficult task at GK against Linton and she stuck to the shooter like wet togs before shifting to WA at halftime and shining.
C: Rachel King (Saints) – King plays with so much energy and determination that it rubs off on her teammates. Her effort plays were unmatched.
WD: Emily Prescott (Highlanders) – Prescott continued to turn up in defence and was pivotal in the Highlanders holding on to win along with Samantha Brown.
GD: Samantha Brown (Highlanders) – As we just mentioned Brown and Prescott were monstrous in defence. Brown was a turnover queen and was persistently disruptive to the fast-flowing Runaways attack.
GK: Kelyse James (Runaways) – James was super reliable at GK and GD and was a great outlet whenever her side won turnovers. Calm and collected performance which is what you want at the back.
SUB: Rebecca Symons (Neptunes)
SUB: Jess Freeman (Runaways)
SUB: Cate Rose (Phoenix)
SUB: Shannon Perry (Marian Vixens)
SUB: Alyssa Golding (Runaways)
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