Sport
28 August, 2023
A graders defeated by Gisborne
Maryborough have wrapped up their season on the netball court, losing by 40 goals in their final game to Gisborne. The girls gave it their all in their attempts to keep up with the Bulldogs, who have earned the double chance in the finals, but were...

Maryborough have wrapped up their season on the netball court, losing by 40 goals in their final game to Gisborne.
The girls gave it their all in their attempts to keep up with the Bulldogs, who have earned the double chance in the finals, but were ultimately outclassed.
Maryborough, however, made a bright start, scoring 13 goals in the first quarter as Keely Hare led the way, scoring 11 goals, while Abbey Nalder scored two. It wasn’t quite enough to prevent Gisborne from leading by four goals at the first change.
Gisborne took control in the second quarter, as they stemmed the flow of Maryborough’s movement in the midcourt. They were able to score 16 goals, while restricting the Magpies to just two goals from seven shots. Hare and Nalder scored a goal apiece.
In the third term, Maryborough got back on terms a little bit, but it was still Gisborne controlling play, as they added 17 goals to seven for the term. Nalder added four goals, while Hare added three. A bright spot was Shayla Bandy getting some minutes after celebrating her 100th game for the club.
In the last quarter, Gisborne continued their control of the game, scoring another 17 goals to five to finish off strongly. Hare scored all five goals for the Magpies.
The washup means that the Magpies finish off the season in ninth place with three wins, but have unearthed many young netballers who have received exposure to A grade throughout the season.
It was also a tricky assignment for the other three teams, with B grade going down by 53 goals, while B reserve lost by 51 goals, despite a good start which saw them trail by just seven goals at the first break.
The 17 and under team will carry the hopes of Maryborough in the finals, and will be looking to take in a good second half from their 10-goal loss to Gisborne into this week’s meeting with Strathfieldsaye on Sunday.