Victorian Netball League 2025 live stream: Peninsula Waves v North East Blaze, Round 2

With a star recruit still unavailable, Peninsula coach Matt Cooke is shifting his focus onto the improvements his side needs to make when they face North East Blaze on Wednesday night. Watch the round 2 match LIVE.

Peninsula championship coach Matt Cooke is hopeful ex-Super Netball goal shooter and Waves recruit Samantha Gooden can suit up in a matter of weeks.

The rebuilding team secured an early pre-season coup when ex-Melbourne Vixens goaler Mwai Kumwenda signed amid a comeback from maternity leave, though she was quickly snapped back up by SSN club West Coast Fever.

Moving quickly, the Waves landed Gooden, who spent four seasons in the SSN environment before she was drafted as an AFLW ruck prospect by Geelong.

Peninsula will face North East Blaze without Gooden in round 2, with the clash to be streamed live and exclusive on KommunityTV from 8.30pm with the 23&U match also available from 7pm.

Now returning to netball, Gooden has worked to overcome some football-related injuries – she lacerated her liver in an VFLW match last season – and niggling knee troubles.

Making her first appearance in a handful of pre-season matches, Cooke said Gooden had no set return date, though the final piece appears to be fine-tuning her conditioning to run out matches.

“It could be a few weeks, that’s what I’m hoping for,” Cooke said.

The Waves match against the Blaze, last year’s semi-finalists, will continue an early run of tough fixtures after a 34-goal thumping by Bendigo Strikers in their season-opener on Sunday.

For Cooke, who joined the Waves from Southern Saints for the opportunity to coach championship after previously mentoring 23&U’s last season, the result wasn’t a big surprise.

Former Adelaide Thunderbirds player Samantha Gooden will play for Peninsula in the VNL this season. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

But he is confident his players will learn from the performance, with education a key pillar for the Waves this season after going winless in 2024.

“When we executed the court structure and the behaviour we look for, we could score,” Cooke said of the Waves’ game against Bendigo.

“When we inconsistently executed that and tried to play to our own means, we were outworked, outhassled and effectively outplayed.

“It’s not the scoreline we wanted but there is a lot to learn from it.”

The Blaze have targeted a number of fixtures they believe they can break through for wins this season, Cooke signalling between 4-6 would be a great result for the club.

Still firmly in a rebuilding phase after a mass exodus of players ahead of their 2024 campaign, Cooke said there had been a more controlled injection of talent into the championship roster this year.

That’s largely so the 23&U side isn’t weakened after a fifth-place finish last season.

Defenders Lauren Hucker and Caitlin Cooke arrive from Hawks and Saints respectively seeking opportunity, goaler Lauren Spinks also joining from the latter.

Meanwhile, returning goal shooter Emmalia Blake’s work through pre-season strength and conditioning hasn’t gone unnoticed, Blake sinking 33 goals at 100 per cent in round 1.

“She’s done everything, every high intensity court drill we’ve done, you can see her hands have improved, her body positioning has improved, she’s playing good netball,” Cooke said.

However, as a developing shooter, Cooke said the key would be getting his midcourt to adjust to playing the ball through in a way which would help Blake succeed.

“We can’t go out there and expect to lob the ball to Emmalia … she’s not a 20-year veteran of the competition who will catch anything,” Cooke said.

“If you get it in the right spot for her, she’ll take the ball and shoot, and she’s super accurate.”

After taking on North East Blaze in a pre-season match, where the margin was around 15 goals, Cooke is expecting Kate Upton’s side to come in red-hot after their after-the-siren draw against new outfit Gippsland Stars in round 1.

Peninsula co-captain April Bethune playing in the Victorian Netball League (VNL). Picture: Grant Treeby/Netball Victoria.

“They rarely play two poor ones in a row,” Cooke said.

“They’re a really well-coached group, they’ve got five or six years experience in the bulk of that team.”

New Vixens training partner Mia Lavis is one to watch for Blaze this season, after her permanent elevation up to championship.

Now back on court after an interrupted 2024 plagued by a back injury, Lavis’ training partner commitments have limited time spent in the Blaze’s environment, as she and longtime championship shooters Sam Silvester and Georgia Moody work to strengthen their partnerships with much-needed game-time.

“She’s really progressed quite well Mia, she’s obviously had that injury and been at Aussie champs as well so we’ll probably see a different style of play with Mia so we’re looking forward to that,” Upton said of Lavis throughout pre-season.

Originally published as Victorian Netball League 2025 live stream: Peninsula Waves v North East Blaze, Round 2