New-look Roosters defence wins plaudits following tough win

NORTH Ballarat coach Annie McCartin says she is proud of how her players responded to their first loss of the season, after surviving a nail-biter against Melton last Saturday.

The Roosters notched up their third win of the season from four games, coming from one goal down at half-time to eke out a thrilling 55-54 triumph at MacPherson Park.

It was one of two epic encounters in round four of BFNL netball, as previously unbeaten Lake Wendouree and Darley played out a 35-35 draw at CE Brown Reserve.

Reigning premiers Sunbury continue to set the pace at 4-0 following a convincing 70-goal victory over Ballarat, highlighted by a 94-goal haul by Lions goal shooter Rebecca Hicks.

Hicks scored all but two of her side’s goals in a 96-26 victory.

Lake Wendouree and North Ballarat hold down second and third spots on the ladder at 3-1, ahead of Darley (2-1-1), Redan (2-2) and Bacchus Marsh (2-2).

Five-time Roosters premiership coach McCartin praised the performance of her new-look defensive combination of Emma Trigg and former midcourter Milly Simpson as instrumental in the win over Melton, as the Roosters bounced back strongly from a round three loss to Sunbury.

The pair have stepped up to fill the void left by Keeley Smith now at Learmonth and Shannon Freeman working as a paramedic in Port Augusta and have handled the transition with poise and dependability.

“Against Sunbury the previous week, they were up against two girls, who were very experienced in the goal circle, but I said to the girls during the week, ‘we’ll just change up a few things here that will get you working more and to defy the ball coming into where Melton want to put it’,” McCartin said.

“The girl never stopped working. We applied some terrific pressure through the midcourt as well, but Emma and Milly just did a great job.

“Their tenacity and fighting spirit in that last quarter helped us get a turnover at just the right time and we got it down to our goalers to get us one up with our centre pass with about 30 seconds to go.

“It was a really tight tussle. Credit to Melton, they are a lovely team and really served it up to us and made us work.

“We had to keep rethinking a few things, so it was a great showcase of two lovely netball teams.

“It could have gone either way – we were just lucky to get our noses in front at the right time.”

After four rounds and with some fresh and returning faces in the line-up, including McCartin’s daughters Stacey Matthews and Gina McCartin, the experienced coach said the Roosters’ season was still on a learning curve.

They can look forward to another tough test against big improvers Bacchus Marsh this weekend, with the Cobras coming off a break, having played their round four game on Good Friday

McCartin said she could not be happier to see Bacchus Marsh undergoing a remarkable resurgence on the netball court, and warned the Roosters would need to be at their best to get past the rejuvenated Cobras.

“Credit to them. They had their issues when they couldn’t field a team, but they are absolutely beautiful girls and a beautiful club and now they have rebuilt to be very competitive,” she said.

“Obviously we are looking forward to the game, but I’m so happy for Bacchus Marsh.

“They have put a lot of time into it, so it is good to see them up and about.

“We are going to have to produce our best performance to get over them for sure.”

Round 4 recap:

Bacchus Marsh 34 def East Point 28; Ballarat 26 lost to Sunbury 96;

Lake Wendouree 35 drew with Darley 35;

Melton 54 lost to North Ballarat 55; Redan 40 def Sebastopol 10.

Round 5 draw:

Sunbury v East Point,

North Ballarat v Bacchus Marsh,

Darley v Ballarat, Redan v Melton, Sebastopol v East Point.