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Sport

10 June, 2024

Maryborough move to second on A reserve ladder after dismantling Eaglehawk

A terrific performance against Eaglehawk has Maryborough’s netballers vaulting up the A reserve ladder ahead of a huge clash with Strathfieldsaye at home. The Magpies were terrific from go to woah as their size and ball movement proved far too...

By Michael Thompson

Ella Patten put in a dominant performance in the defensive third.
Ella Patten put in a dominant performance in the defensive third.

A terrific performance against Eaglehawk has Maryborough’s netballers vaulting up the A reserve ladder ahead of a huge clash with Strathfieldsaye at home.

The Magpies were terrific from go to woah as their size and ball movement proved far too strong for the Hawks in their 44-25 victory on Saturday at Canterbury Park.

Coming in to the game in fourth position on the ladder, a three-goal loss by the Storm to Sandhurst and a bye for Kangaroo Flat has helped the Magpies vault up the ladder, and now currently sit second, a game and a half behind Gisborne on top.

More importantly, the Magpies are now three and a half games clear inside the top five as they look to secure finals netball.

The first quarter was Maryborough at their dominant best as they got the jump on the Hawks. With playing coach Maggie Tranter unavailable, Ella Patten and Eliza Roughead was the defensive combination, and both were in the thick of everything whenever Eaglehawk tried to fashion opportunities, intercepting with ease.

At the other end, Katie Bilton and Millie Cassidy were able to generate great drive to Megan Kelly and Jordan MacIlwain, who were far too powerful for the Eaglehawk defenders, with Kelly scoring eight goals and MacIlwain seven as the Magpies led 15-5 at the first change.

It was still much of the same in the second term. Patten was continuing to dominate the game with her intercepts, and the Magpies were moving the ball with such ease. A 12 goal to seven quarter, with Kelly scoring seven times and MacIlwain five, meant that the Magpies were in front by 15 goals at the main break, leading 27-12.

Impressively, the Magpies were not letting up in any way during the third quarter, continuing to make it very hard for the Hawks to score when they were in position in their attacking third.

The Magpies were also starting to think about rotations, with Paige Walkley receiving her first minutes in A reserve during the third quarter, while Bilton was shifted to goal attack late in the quarter. Nevertheless, the Magpies continued to increase their lead, scoring 10 goals to six, with Kelly scoring eight times and MacIlwain two, to lead 37-18 at the last change.

The last quarter went swimmingly for Maryborough, as they eased through the rest of the game. There was nothing to worry about through the balance of the quarter, with both teams scoring seven goals apiece. Kelly scored six goals to finish with a tally of 29 for the day, while Bilton added one goal as she was able to hit the scoreboard after her move to goal attack.

The 44-25 win meant that Maryborough were able to importantly boost their percentage to 111, although it’s currently elementary given their status as having played in the only draw in the competition.

Elsewhere, B grade had a terrific fight on their hands with Eaglehawk, but a strong last quarter from the Hawks meant that they were unable to stop them from taking a 12-goal victory.

B reserve had a bit of a tougher time, losing by 43 goals early on Saturday afternoon.

The 17 and under maintained third position ahead of an important clash with fellow top five team Strathfieldsaye thanks to a similar victory — scoreline and all — to the A reserve team.

The result means that the 17 and under team maintain the double chance by a game over Castlemaine.

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