Roosters stand tall in tight Cobras battle; next up Sunbury

NORTH Ballarat ensured it will enter a blockbuster Ballarat Football Netball League clash against Sunbury with confidence and optimism after staving off a plucky Bacchus Marsh last Saturday.

The Roosters came from two goals behind at three-quarter-time to prevail 52-48 in a see-sawing contest at Maddingley Park.

A hard-fought win saw the third-placed Roosters move six points clear of fourth-placed Lake Wendouree following the Lakers’ upset loss to Sebastopol.

The Burra have stamped themselves as the competition’s big second-half improvers on the back of three wins in a row against Ballarat, East Point and Lake Wendouree.

At Bacchus Marsh, there was relief for North Ballarat after keeping the Cobras at bay, with coach Annie McCartin identifying her team’s composure as the key to the victory.

“It was a real tight battle; it could have gone either way,” she said.

“What got us over the line was our composure. They served it right up to us, but I just felt the girls at no time let things get to them; they were composed and cool.

“Our defenders (Emma Trigg and Milly Simpson) had a big job on their hands – Bacchus Marsh’s two goalers (Kim Phillips and Jasmine Paama) did a wonderful job. But once we got a turnover, we drove the ball up the court. But it was our composure that stood us in good stead. It was a great team effort.”

McCartin praised her players’ leadership in a tense final quarter.

“Everyone really stood up – even the younger ones – they realised they had to take an extra step and show some leadership,” she said.

McCartin said the Roosters would embrace this weekend’s challenge against the competition benchmark, confident they had improved greatly since their 22-goal loss to the Lions in round four. It’s a test only one team – Darley – has mastered this season.

“I feel that if we can just keep working away and put the pressure on before the ball gets into the goal circle, it will give us and our defenders a chance,” McCartin said.

“Bec (Hicks) is a beautiful, strong shooter, so we’ll need to apply more pressure through the midcourt and hope we can gain more possession back the other way for Maddy and Pops to finish off.

“I’m sure we’ll put on a better performance than last time.”

Hicks continued her great form by scoring 48 goals at 88 per cent in Sunbury’s 51-goal win over East Point, playing alongside Caitlin Hill (31 goals at 94 per cent), back from her Super Netball reserves commitments with the Vixens Academy.

Disappointed not to come away with a win, Bacchus Marsh coach Nichole Gleeson could find solace in knowing her side could match it with a genuine flag contender.

“We really made them work for that win,” she said. “Our defenders worked really well. We had some different combinations, which was really good.

“We have a new recruit in Melissa Prismall, who’s given us an eighth player, and helped us to be able to rotate players a bit more.

“It worked really well. I thought we matched up well on them.”

The Cobras were unlucky to lose Kaila Saker to injury in what was a brilliant third quarter for the home side, outscoring the Roosters 14-9.

All five away teams won in round 14, with Sebastopol’s win at Lake Wendouree the obvious eye-opener.

A 48-40 win by the Burra helped them overtake East Point in seventh position. They trail Bacchus Marsh by two wins and plenty of percentage.

Round 12 recap: East Point 31 lost to Sunbury 82; Melton 51 lost Redan 66; Lake Wendouree 40 lost to Sebastopol 48; Ballarat 15 lost to Darley 66; Bacchus Marsh 48 lost to North Ballarat 52.

Round 13: Ballarat v Lake Wendouree; Darley v Bacchus Marsh; Melton v Sebastopol; North Ballarat v Sunbury; Redan v East Point.