Live stream: Express, Falcons, Hawks, Blaze, Lightning all feature in week one of Victorian Netball League finals

City West Falcons sharpshooter Jane Cook had a night to remember as her team charged into the VNL grand final. See who else stepped in their crucial semi-finals. Four full REPLAYS

City West Falcons have stormed into the Victoria Netball League senior grand final after thumping Boroondara Express to the tune of 23 goals in their qualifying final.

Boroondara Express set the pace early in the first quarter but once the Falcons found their range and accuracy, there was no stopping them.

Sharpshooter Jane Cook received excellent to delivery to score at a prolific rate and the Express defence simply had no answer to the 201cm talent.

REPLAYS

Court 1

City West Falcons v Boroondara Express (Championship) - VNL semi-finals

Watch the full replay in the window above.

North East Blaze v City West Falcons (23/U) – Victorian Netball League semi-finals

Court 11

Hawks Netball v North East Blaze (Championship) - VNL semi-finals

Hawks Netball v Melbourne Uni Lightning (23/U) – Victorian Netball League semi-finals

Express surrendered the lead right at the end of the first quarter to trail 18-17, and from then on it was always the Falcons as they blew the margin out at every change.

They took a 13-goal margin to the main break and extended that to 17 goals at the last change.

The final quarter threatened to blow right out, but constant errors and a lack of intensity kept the final scoreline to 77-54.

Express will now play Hawks Netball in next week’s preliminary final after they won a tough encounter 54-47 against North East Blaze in their knockout semi-final.

Earlier, their younger under-23 outfit progressed to through to their grand final after thrashing Melbourne Uni Lightning by a whopping 30 goals.

The Lightning had no answer to the Hawks’ defensive set-up and could only manage 34 goals for the duration of the game.

At the other end, the Hawks had no such difficulties as they put their rivals to the sword en route to a 64-34 result.

The Lightning will need to quickly regroup before they come up against North East Blaze, who hung on in a desperate finish to beat the City West Falcons 51-49 in their knockout semi-final.

The fast-finishing Falcons outscored the Blaze by 10 goals in the final quarter but it wasn’t enough to reel in their rivals.

PREVIEW

City West Falcons’ sharpshooter Jane Cook has no doubt of the part her VNL teammates played in her groundbreaking 1000-goal moment.

Now, with the finals starting on Wednesday night, the Falcons are zeroed in on their next goal, with the Marg Lind-coached squad in prime position to compete for an elusive championship three-peat.

The minor premiers take on Boroondara Express for a place in this year’s grand final on Wednesday night, with their only loss in 2024 coming at the expense of Express in round one and decided by a single goal.

Catch all the action from a big night of finals action on Court 1 LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KTV. You can also watch the games from Court 11 NON-EXCLUSIVELY.

Check the LIVE STREAM schedule below.

Since then the Falcons have been on a tear, winning 19 games straight to go into the qualifying final in terrifying form.

That includes 26-year-old Cook, who sunk her 1000th goal of the season in last week’s final regular season game, with her accuracy at a remarkable 96 per cent all season.

Jane Cook recently brought up her 1000-goal milestone.

“It’s a pretty cool achievement but it’s also something that couldn’t be done without the entire team, literally from our defenders gaining us possession to our middies and attackers working down the court,” Cook said.

The Falcons entered the season with a large target on their back, with championship titles won in 2022 and 2023.

But the hunger to win hasn’t dissipated among the success-rich Falcons, according to Cook.

“I think there was that drive pretty much from day one of, we call it pre-pre-season,” she said.

“There is that drive to win, perform well and look like a good outfit, that hasn’t changed.

“Meet our targets, meet our goals and obviously one of those being to win a premiership.”

With built-in depth in their squad, Cook credited the Falcons’ adaptability in attack as a strength this year.

Sophie Hanrahan keeps things secure at the back.

With the likes of Genna Ogier and replacement player Olivia Cameron able to come on when needed, 22-year-old star shooter Uneeq Palavi, who made her Super Netball debut for NSW Swift in June for a total of four appearances, also stepped back into the line-up with ease last week.

“It was phenomenal watching her,” Cook said of Palavi’s SSN appearances.

“I think every time she was on court I was yelling at the TV like ‘give her the ball, she’s open’.

“But no, her first (VNL) game back last week, it was like she was never gone.

“She’s slotted straight back in seamlessly.”