Sport
8 May, 2023
Four-year winless drought ends in emphatic fashion for Talbot against Campbells Creek
CAMPBELLS CREEK (38) def by TALBOT (47) It was a day that was years in the making for the B.A Road Services Talbot Hawks’ netball department. The Hawks hadn’t won a game since round five in 2019. For those playing along, that’s 1435 days. But...
CAMPBELLS CREEK (38) def by TALBOT (47)
It was a day that was years in the making for the B.A Road Services Talbot Hawks’ netball department.
The Hawks hadn’t won a game since round five in 2019. For those playing along, that’s 1435 days.
But a day that saw a little bit of everything, including a stoppage due to hail that hit Campbells Creek during the first quarter and a very wet court afterwards, the Hawks pulled through and leveraged a powerful 18-goal to six third quarter to break the drought.
It was an even start in the first quarter, with both teams scoring 13 goals apiece.
Although conditions changed vastly between the end of the first quarter and the second, the scoring continued to sizzle at a hot rate, with Talbot scoring 14 goals, while Creek scored 13. It left the Hawks holding a slender one-goal lead at the main break.
The Hawks kicked clear in their best quarter for a long time, scoring 18 goals to six to take the game away from Campbells Creek, before holding on to make the game a scrap in the last quarter, scoring two goals themselves, but more importantly, holding Creek to just six.
Tia Skelton was dominant for Talbot, scoring 27 goals, while Dom Roche added 20.
For Campbells Creek, Lillie Wrigley led the way with 19 goals, while Jordan Bagley added 12.
Talbot co-coach Jacqui Wardlaw was relieved to say the least, after helping guide the Hawks to a long-awaited victory.
“We’re absolutely elated. It’s huge for us. After the game, we realised that there were two girls — myself and Stella Roche — that played in the last win, but it’s been a hard slog. People could see it was very emotional for us. We were all crying; it was just so good,” she said.
Wardlaw added that a plan to bring the club together to celebrate both Hawks’ teams enjoying a double dose of victory made the day extra special.
“A special thing that happened was that we went in the rooms and sung the club song with the boys. Phil Crouch and I concocted that one up and it was just amazing,” she said.
“The atmosphere at Talbot is buzzing this year. It’s definitely a one-club environment, juniors and seniors, footy and netty, everyone is supportive of one another and it feels like we are building to good things.”
Wardlaw looked back on the third quarter as the key difference-maker for Talbot.
“The third quarter was one that was strong for us. We were having good momentum, everyone could see that what we were doing was working, so we kept going, and we were doing the right things. It was a matter of us keeping the foot on the pedal and staying focused.
“We scored two goals in the last quarter, we were a little shaky and had nerves, but we held them off defensively, generated a couple of turnovers. We were rattled, but in a good way, as we were excited, and we ended up holding on.
“It wasn’t just a matter of winning by one or two goals, to win by nine goals, and getting a few turnovers, we were really happy with that. We weren’t sneaking through and winning at the buzzer, we held them off and kept the gap. Usually, we are the ones chasing.”
Wardlaw said that the win was able to transform the Hawks’ outlook of the season, given that Campbells Creek had come in enjoying good form, with a win over 2022 finalists Maldon in round one and a competitive performance against unbeaten Trentham the week before.
“It’s promising for us to beat a team that can beat the teams around the mark, and it gives us some good hope ahead of the next few weeks,” she said.
“There are some middle-tier teams that we put up a good fight against, so with a bit of a stronger team this year, we can be a bit more confident going in. A bit of it could be a mindset thing, knowing we can beat Creek, we can think we can match it with equivalent teams now.
“The fact that we were able to get a win early in the year, gives us a bit more time and opportunity to get something done. To get two or three wins in a row would be a dream.”
All of this came after the hailstorm had threatened to derail the momentum Talbot generated from their good start. But Wardlaw added that it was also a good opportunity to determine what the Hawks were doing well.
“We brought it in and could see what was going on in the game in the first few minutes. When we came off due to the hail, we were talking and seeing what was happening, watching their tactics and discussing it. We were talking about what we were doing well and thinking about how to continue on with it. We were buzzing with a fast start — sometimes we don’t get that, so it was good,” she said.
Wardlaw said the trio of coaches the Hawks have — herself, sister Tina and Amanda Swanson — has given them ample opportunity to provide different levels of feedback to the group.
“We play at different ends of the court, so we can see different things, to adjust things that we see. The three of us are on the same page — we bounce off each other well. Tina and Amanda are first-time coaches, and this is my second time doing A grade,” she said.
“With the right people and the right backing, anything can be done with our system. We have good buy-in from the girls and they back each other, so now it’s all to do with producing it on the court.”
The Hawks now look ahead to a clash with Dunolly at home as both their footballers and netballers seek back-to-back victories.
