Victorian Netball League R13 live stream: Hawks hope to upset City West Falcons in bid to ignite finals push

They went with the VNL ladder leaders across three quarters, but in the end the Hawks couldn’t find another gear to match the faultless Falcons. Watch the VNL REPLAYS.

They matched it with them for three strong quarters, but in the end, the Hawks just couldn’t keep pace with Victorian Netball League frontrunners City West Falcons going down 64-52.

The Hawks had a chance to shock the competition, with coach AJ Ballantyne explaining an upset win could be just what his side needed to ignite their title push.

The players had obviously heeded their coaches words, exploding out of the blocks to match it with their rivals across a gripping first half.

But in the end the might of the reigning VNL champions proved too much to overcome.

The Falcons were incredible in the final quarter, cutting off passing lanes and snatching any loose balls to gain an ascendancy.

The Falcons scored 17 goals in the final quarter and stretched their lead to 12 goals by the end of the match.

Nothing could split the two clubs in the Division 1 clash with the Hawks fighting their way back to a 46-46 draw to maintain their spot at second on the ladder.

In the 19 and Under clash, the Falcons were simply unstoppable with Holly Adams-Alcock scoring 41 goals from 46 attempts as the side notched a 22-goal win to take their season record to 12-1.

REPLAY

City West Falcons v Hawks Netball - Championship

City West Falcons v Hawks Netball - 19&Under

City West Falcons v Hawks Netball - Div 1

Preview: Hawks aiming to ignite their run to finals

Hawks Netball coach AJ Ballantyne is hoping an upset win on Wednesday night can ignite an electric run home.

The Hawks – sixth with six wins and six losses – take on ladder-leaders City West Falcons before facing second-placed Boroondara Express the following week.

The match between Hawks and Falcons will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV as a part of a Victorian Netball League match-of-the-round triple header.

After going down in an upset loss of their own last week to Casey Demons, the Hawks are in dire need of a win to stay in touch with the Championship top four.

Hawks take on top of the ladder City West Falcons live on KommunityTV on Wednesday night. Photo: Grant Treeby/Netball Victoria

And while no challenge comes greater than the reigning premier Falcons, Ballantyne is reminding his side that they’re just another team, just like the six they have defeated this season.

“Obviously Falcons are a really strong team and are having a great season,” Ballantyne said.

“We have had some really tight, close games in the last few weeks and we’re kind of itching for a win.

“We talked to the girls at training yesterday about how Falcons are a good team, but they are just another team.

“We have to focus on winning those one-on-one match-ups and slowing down that supply of ball to their really strong goal circle.

“As much as it’s a cliche we have told the girls we need to take it quarter-by-quarter and have to be in the game in the second half and see what happens from there.”

Hawks coach AJ Ballantyne. Picture: Valeriu Campan

With the top five in their sights on the run home, Ballantyne isn’t shying away from the importance of performance.

Instead, he is urging his girls to embrace the challenge of a mini-finals series ahead of the real deal.

“It’s really tight for that fourth spot on the ladder, there’s only one game separating fourth, fifth and sixth,” he said.

“Last week was really disappointing, losing to Casey who are a bit further down the ladder but one win can change everything.

“There is still six rounds to go and I said to the girls, you have to keep going – we play those teams above us in the run home.

“(If we can) chip off a couple of wins then the ladder position will take care of itself.

“A win here would be huge, Falcons will beat a lot of teams on the way home as well, so if you pick up a win here and then we play Boroondara next week who are second.

“Picking off one or two wins in the next couple of weeks would be huge because you know those teams will get some wins themselves.

“It’s really important, I think whichever way the result goes, that we prove we can match it with some of those top teams.”

Wednesday night is crucial for the Hawks’ Division 1 outfit too, with an eight-point match on offer between second and third on the ladder.