Townsville Premier League netball: Sizzling Saints soar into round 3 team of the week
Three Saints players earnt team of the week honours after an emphatic 60-32 triumph over Te Whanau on Monday night. Catch up on the action from all four games and see who else starred in round 3.
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Townsville could be in store for its most hotly contested Premier League netball season in years after Neptunes proved their winning credentials in a 30-29 triumph over 2024 premiers Runaways on Monday night.
Players and spectators shared a minute of silence before each game on an emotional night for Townsville’s netball community after the passing of Highlanders founding member and TCNAI life member Gerri Perriman.
Many players from teams across the league marked the occasion with black armbands and green and red ribbons in their hair.
From the opening whistle it felt like the match between Neptunes and Runnies was going to go down to the wire and that’s exactly what happened as the teams traded leads in the final quarter.
Neptunes had pushed out to a six-goal lead in the third quarter thanks mostly to Georgia Bulley’s outstanding work in defence making scoring difficult, but five consecutive goals saw Runaways enter the fourth quarter just one goal behind.
It was a physical final term but in the end Lyn Howlett’s clutch shooting earnt Neptunes the win, coming on with eight minutes to play and draining all four of her shots including the matchwinner in the final minute despite injuring her hand earlier in the game.
Runaways shot at just 73 per cent but will be disappointed not to have capitalised on Neptunes’ 60 per cent shooting – which was mostly a result of Tiarna Kerehoma and Alyssa Golding’s great work in defence.
This year’s Neptunes squad is the real deal and their combinations will only improve the longer they play together.
TE WHANAU v SAINTS
A sizzling Saints outfit claimed an emphatic 60-32 triumph to hand Te Whanau their first defeat of the 2025 Premier League netball season.
A dominant 18-5 final quarter from Saints made the score a poor reflection of the exciting match fans were treated to as two of the league’s top teams went head to head.
The battle of the centres was unmissable action between Te Whanau’s Chelsea O’Neil, who was a mid-court star at Saints in 2024, and her former teammate Anna Child.
Both played almost every minute of the contest and O’Neil’s strength and athleticism was only matched by Child’s great positioning and netball IQ.
Another personal battle played out in the circle with classy Saints GD Claudia Heath doing an outstanding job keeping Te Whanau’s dominant shooter Sophie Watson quiet.
Watson finished with just 15/22 while Saints GS Makenzie Wakelin had a night to remember with 52/66 goals supported by Rebecca Barnsley who made a cameo at GA with 8/14.
PHOENIX v BURDEKIN
The Burdekin Silverlinks were in frightening form as they dominated a young Phoenix side 58-31 to notch their second win of the season.
When the Silverlinks have all their big guns fit and firing as they were in the third quarter, there’s no team in the league that can keep up with them.
Burdekin defenders Amy Park and Shelby Norris were dominant in the circle and when winning turnovers, while the team’s attack flowed effortlessly through Mackenzie Linton (31/41) and Jessica Cox (13/19).
The game threatened to be a blowout after a 19-8 opening quarter but Phoenix did a great job of working back into the arm wrestle, winning the second quarter 10-9.
But once the Silverlinks clicked back into gear they were unstoppable, running away with the game in the second half.
HIGHLANDERS v MIXENS
Highlanders had a tough night out against competition frontrunners Mixens, who leapt to the top of the table with a third straight victory, 53-21.
Mixens were ruthless with a number of former Highlanders facing their old club as Carly Perso (28/38) and Grace Bowman (8/20) lit up the attack.
Highlanders were competitive but struggled to score and didn’t make double-digit totals in any quarter while an 18-6 final term made the score appear worse than reality.
There’s still work to do at Highlanders but there were plenty of positives including the performances of Abagail and Rhys Tomkins who were both relentless in the mid-court.
TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN TEAM OF THE WEEK
GS: Makenzie Wakelin (Saints) – It’s impossible to look past Wakelin’s 52/66 goals as Saints took care of a tough opponent in Te Whanau. Wakelin was strong in the circle and rarely missed her opportunities whether they were from up close or at a longer distance.
GA: Sophie Watson (Te Whanau) – Watson couldn’t get her team the win but she played tremendously while being marked by one of the league’s best defenders for the entire contest. She looked strong when she had her chances but they were too few and far between, finishing the match 15/22.
WA: Talise Heron (Runaways) – Heron was strong as Runaways narrowly fell to Neptunes, taking a leading role in the mid-court in the absence of Jess Freeman. A physical player with great vision, Heron almost snuck her team the win as Runaways came roaring back in the second half.
C: Anna Child (Saints) – Child had an awesome battle with her former teammate Chelsea O’Neil and probably just came out on top considering she played a huge part in her team’s win. The athletic centre always knows where to be and who to pass to, making quick decisions look easy.
WD: Kate Wilkie (Burdekin) – Yes, she played centre for most of the night but we simply couldn’t leave Wilkie out of the side. Underestimate the Silverlinks’ pocket rocket at your own peril, she’s much faster and stronger than you’d expect and Wilkie was outstanding as Burdekin claimed a big win.
GD: Claudia Heath (Saints) – Heath is quickly putting forward her case as the league’s most reliable defender. She was an absolute turnover machine against Te Whanau, using her height and strength to win balls and outmuscle one of the league’s strongest goal shooters in Sophie Watson.
GK: Georgia Bulley (Neptunes) – What a game from the Neptunes defender who was incredible for her side, claiming rebounds at an incredible rate before shifting to GD in the second half where she helped facilitate the attack with WD Katie Alexander.
SUB: Amy Park (Burdekin) – She might have a new name, but it was the same old incredible defence from the Silverlinks co-captain. Park simply knows how to win balls and she can be disruptive and physical while maintaining a friendly demeanour. Worked well with Shelby Norris to make life difficult for Phoenix.
SUB: Shelby Norris (Burdekin) – A strong performance keeping Phoenix quiet whether she was at GD or GK.
SUB: Charlotte Clive (Phoenix) – One of the brightest prospects at Phoenix and across the league right now, it’s clear Clive has plenty of potential.
SUB: Chelsea O’Neil (Te Whanau) – O’Neil played almost every minute against her former club and didn’t take a backward step. The strong and athletic centre competes on every play.
SUB: Katie Alexander (Neptunes) – Defensively awesome in an intense match against the reigning premiers, Alexander was smart with her pass selection and worked hard off the ball.
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Originally published as Townsville Premier League netball: Sizzling Saints soar into round 3 team of the week
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