Live stream: Boroondara Express face City West Falcons in opening round of Victorian Netball League

It was the perfect way to start the new Victorian Netball League season as two grand final heavyweights went head-to-head in a thriller. Watch the REPLAYS from a huge opening night.

The Express have exploded out of the blocks to upset rivals City West Falcons in a thrilling grand final replay.

Boroondara’s slick ball movement, and power of patience in the midcourt, proved the major difference as they narrowly held on against the reigning champions 58-57.

It was a big turnaround in fortunes for the Express who were clearly fuelled by the heartache of last year’s grand final where they led for most of the game before the Falcons ran them down.

WATCH THE CHAMPIONSHIP REPLAY ABOVE, SCROLL DOWN FOR THE 23-AND-UNDER REPLAY

It appeared the match was playing out in repeat when Falcons shooter Jane Cook returned to the court and scored three unanswered goals to start the final term

The Falcons managed to draw level late in the final quarter, and almost stole a result from their rivals, before the Express held their nerve with a goal to impressive playmaker Ruby Barkmeyer which sealed the win.

The speed demon was the Express’ best across the four quarters, wearing away the shine of the State Netball Centre court as she relentlessly patrolled from the centre circle to the shooting circle.

RISING TALENTS SET TO TAKE VNL BY STORM

Barkmeyer and shooting partner Isabelle Hodgson showed their connection has only improved in the off-season, working on almost instinct alone with their movements off the ball.

While a one-point loss will be a bitter pill for the reigning premiers, the way they have strengthened the front court will make it just a touch more palatable.

The arrival of former Collingwood Magpies SSN shooter Shimona Jok, has forged a powerful one-two punch up front for the Falcons.

Jok and Cook, who traded minutes in the shooter bib, have become the ultimate twin towers using their size in the shooting circle to their advantage.

With Uneeq Palavi partnering the pair in the shooting circle, and impressive playmaker Maggie Lind feeding them from the midcourt, the Falcons front court will likely prove to be one of the toughest to overcome as the season unfolds.

The five-star clash opened up what will be a new era for the Victorian Netball League as the competition reduced to just two divisions this season with the Championship and 23-and-Under divisions.

REPLAYS

Replay: City West Falcons v Boroondara Express (23-and-Under)

If this was a sign of things to come, the competition is set to become spicy.

In a perfect example of why Netball Victoria chose to restructure the competition, the Falcons and Express young guns also started the season with a bang in a two-point thriller.

The Falcons pulled off the great escape in the final quarter, fighting back to clinch a thrilling 48-46 win over their rivals. City West outscored their rivals 14-10 in the final quarter.

PREVIEW

A Victorian Netball League contender hopes to strike the right balance of competitiveness and player enjoyment in what their coach considers to be “a very long season ahead”.

Boroondara Express won’t give up their opportunity for redemption easily when they face City West Falcons in a grand final rematch on Wednesday to open an expanded 22-round season.

And KommunityTV will exclusively LIVE STREAM the Under-23 and Championship double-header from 6.45pm.

Check out the full details below.

However Boroondara championship co-coach Wendy Jacobsen remains mindful of the extra month of matches that come with extending the season from 18 rounds to 22, with her focus instead on “learning and growing from every game”.

“It (City West Falcons) will be our first challenge… (but) I find VNL a great environment, most people know each other,” she said, revealing she had texted Falcons co-coach Jacinta Todd - who was Jacobsen’s assistant coach for the 2023 19-and-under Victorian team - with a friendly “see you in a few weeks”.

“I think when the game is done, it is about the enjoyment of the sport, for the coaches as well as the players,” she said.

INSIDE ROSTER CRUNCH FOR VNL’S NEWEST FRANCHISES

Boroondara Express centre Casey Adamson. Photo: Grant Treeby/NV

With City West Falcons spurred on by the allure of a three-peat, the Express are hoping to break a nine-year championship title drought. They enter the 2024 season having retained the majority of their squad, with all nine of grand final players re-signing.

The welcome returns of Ruby Barkmeyer and Olivia Morris from injury bolsters Boroondara’s attacking end, though Jacobsen anticipates Morris will likely return through the under-23s.

“We’re really excited… she adds another dimension to our attack end that we didn’t have for most of last year,” Jacobsen said of Morris’ return.

Jacobsen, who has had her players practising their quick ball skills to counter “City’s height”, sees potential for more growth in her players as they focus on becoming less predictable through new combinations.

“I think about 70 percent of our champs team can play under 23s as well,” she said.

“We’re still young and building in that area as well.”

The Falcons’ roster in contrast has experienced greater off-season movement, particularly to their defensive end following the departures of Sienna Allen and Zoe Davies.

City West Falcons are chasing the three-peat in 2024.

But it will be hard to discount a team who only lost one match in 2023 considering the quality of their signings.

Shimona Jok, who played for former Super Netball club Collingwood before signing as a training partner for new franchise, Melbourne Mavericks, joins an all-ready stacked attacking end at the Falcons.

And then there is Genna Ogier, who enters the program having played for a NCAA Division one basketball program in the United States, while Melissa Oloamanu (injury) and Sussu Liai (Peninsula Waves) will complement Sophie Hanrahan and Lucia Fauonuku in defence.