Townsville Premier League netball: Saints stay on top after insane undefeated showdown with Mixens
A large crowd witnessed what could be Townsville Premier League netball’s game of the season as Saints and Mixens battled to hand their opponents their first defeat of 2025. Catch up on all the round 7 action and see our Team of the Week.
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A large crowd witnessed what could be Townsville Premier League netball’s game of the season on Monday night as the final two undefeated teams, Saints and Mixens, battled to hand their opponents their first defeat of 2025.
The pace of the game and the slight uniform clash made it hard to follow the play in moments but Saints players had no trouble finding each other to claim a determined 42-34 win after pulling away in the final quarter.
Saints centre Anna Child had one of her best games of the season, spending almost every minute on court during a defensive masterclass in the mid-court.
A Rebecca Barnsley turnover with five seconds to go in the third quarter allowed for Makenzie Wakelin to hit a long-range buzzer-beater to give her team a one-point lead at the final break before Saints built a matchwinning lead with shutdown defence.
Mixens’ defensive pairing of Charlie Duke and Tealoha Apete were outstanding all game, especially on the rebound, while limiting Saints’ star shooter Wakelin to 20/26 goals – but it was her 7/7 fourth quarter that helped lift Saints to victory.
Despite often being doubled up on defence, Wakelin still found a way to impact the game and with all the focus on the GS, Tiarni Fennell was able to play with extra space and freedom.
BURDEKIN v TE WHANAU
The Burdekin Silverlinks held on for a hardfought 55-51 victory over Te Whanau to step back into the Premier League’s top four.
It was an entertaining end-to-end match played with a lot of physicality, with Burdekin shooter Mackenzie Linton starring for the winners with 10 or more goals in each quarter to finish 41/50.
The inclusion of veteran Brooke Lousi was almost enough for Te Whanau to claim their third win of the season, and strong shooters Sophie Watson and Addison Whalley who benefited the most from Lousi’s smart play in the mid-court.
Whalley was impressive at both GA and GS, collecting 39/48 goals in another terrific performance.
The Silverlinks led by just one goal at the final break but pushed the gap out to five goals late in the fourth.
Te Whanau fought back to a two-goal deficit and had possession with two minutes on the clock, but they weren’t able to flip the result.
Sarah Mainwaring-Samwell made a big impact for Burdekin when she came on in the fourth, scoring six goals in clutch moments.
NEPTUNES v FNAE
Neptunes made it back-to-back wins as they continue to climb up the competition standings with a 50-32 triumph over the First Nations Academy of Excellence Roos.
Neptunes captain Alicia Kruske was at her best at the back, limiting the opportunities of the Roos attack alongside GK Georgia Bulley.
The victors doubled their opponents’ score at the first break, 14-7, and never looked back.
Some of the emotion left the contest in the second half with the large lead enough for Neptunes to cruise to the win.
Roos mid-courter Georgia Sullivan made her successful return from injury, playing her first Premier League game of the year after her 2024 season was cut short.
HIGHLANDERS v RUNAWAYS
Highlanders still have plenty of work to do this season to catch up to the standard of the competition, getting categorically beaten by Runaways 68-18.
Runaways limited their opponents to less than 20 goals for the second consecutive week, outclassing Highlanders in every third.
Runaways played through the static defence with ease and found plenty of space in the circle for Pippa Ratuere to shine with 32/50 goals while Jorja James supplemented the scoring with an accurate 27/33.
Highlanders scored eight goals in the third quarter for their best offensive output, however they still allowed 23 goals in that time before Runaways took their foot off the gas in the fourth.
TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN TEAM OF THE WEEK
GS: Mackenzie Linton (Burdekin) – Linton was back to her best on Monday with consistent scoring through all four quarters to play a big role in the Silverlinks victory.
GA: Lyn Howlett (Neptunes) – A strong performance from the poised Neptunes shooter, shooting an accurate 16/20 at both GA and GK while throwing some nice assists to her teammates.
WA: Jess Freeman (Runaways) – Runaways ran rings around the Highlanders and Freeman was untouchable. Made her presence felt when she was on the court.
C: Anna Child (Saints) – Possibly the player of the match in the game of the round, Child was everywhere in a very complete performance. Kept the talented Shannon Perry relatively quiet with her great movement with and without the ball.
WD: Imogen Everson (Runaways) – Very solid game from the versatile WD, who was awesome in defence and even better transitioning the ball up the court after a turnover.
GD: Charlie Duke (Mixens) – Huge game from Duke, giving her team every opportunity to upset Saints thanks to her stellar defence.
GK: Alicia Kruske (Neptunes) – Kruske was dynamic for Neptunes, creating headaches for the Roos shooters all night. Very strong partnership at the back with Georgia Bulley.
BENCH:
Tiarni Fennell (Saints)
Addison Whalley (Te Whanau)
Shannon Perry (Mixens)
Tealoha Apete (Mixens)
Zoe Branch (Burdekin)
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Originally published as Townsville Premier League netball: Saints stay on top after insane undefeated showdown with Mixens
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