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\u201cAs pleasing as any fact last Saturday was that we were able to take a lead into the last quarter and then to finish off pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blade, a star with VNL club Hawks and their 23-and-under club MVP last season, shone for the Swans, leading all shooters on court with 33 goals in a dominant and accurate performance.<\/p>\n
An undoubted difference-maker, her absence two weeks earlier against Sebastopol proved telling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, I\u2019ve felt we\u2019ve been pretty good in all of our games, so it\u2019s about getting a flow into attack for us, and it\u2019s starting to get a lot more consistent,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt Dakota\u2019s effort was strong.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what was also strong was, there was a period when she had to come off and tape her ankle, and we were able to put Famke McCallum in at goals and we were still able to convert our centre passes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we do have some depth in that circle and across the court everyone did the job they were supposed to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe connections are starting to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eliza Burge and McKeagney-Stubbs led a stellar defensive effort, while centre Xara Burge, Bakes at wing attack and versatile youngster Ava Richardson, when moved into goals, were all prominent, in a sign of growing depth at Ballarat.<\/p>\n
There was no underestimating the part their supporters played in the Swans\u2019 win, according to Palmer, with netballers from lower grades joined by plenty of reserves footballers and others to cheer them home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls themselves commented after the game that it was almost like having an eighth player on the court,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe excitement was building and it became known the A-graders were on the verge of winning, so people came over to the courts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a really great moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Swans will now look to carry their momentum into this Saturday\u2019s clash against East Point, which is coming off a bye, having played its round 4 game as a standalone fixture on Good Friday, and still searching for its first win of the season.<\/p>\n
Palmer was confident backing up from such an obvious high would present no issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a good blend of girls that are returning and girls that are new, so the new girls haven\u2019t gone through it and had to ride all of the losses,\u201d she said<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not something they think about.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re realistic; we\u2019re still building and it will take some time. We\u2019ve got talent, but everyone does.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need to keep working on our connections in order to see growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BALLARAT co-coach Lisa Palmer hopes last Saturday’s drought-breaking win over Redan might be the launch pad for even brighter times ahead. A rejuvenated Swans snapped a long run of losses by defeating Redan 44-36 in round 4 of BFNL A-grade netball. It was their first win since June of 2024 when they defeated Sebastopol by […]<\/p>\n