Composure the key as Storm win crucial battle

STRSTHFIELDSAYS coach Jess Mangan has praised her side’s mental toughness after coming from behind to snatch a dramatic 1-goal win over Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park last Saturday.

The Storm, led by sharpshooter Annie Hughes and wing attack Isabel Brennan, made it two wins in a row with a stirring 49-48 victory.

They scored the last three goals of the game to seal a plucky win.

The Storm will get the chance to make it three straight victories when they host Broadford at Tannery Lane this Saturday.

Strathfieldsaye moved into fifth spot on the ladder, scoring an important win over a rival with the similar aspirations of playing finals in 2026.

Mangan said the Storm, who trailed by as many as seven goals during the second term, had prepared for a tough scrap against the Hawks and that was exactly what they got.

“We knew they were close to us on the ladder and it was important we were competitive and able to play a full four quarters,” she said.

“For us, it was all about looking at what the next thing we could do and not drop our heads, as we knew it was going to be a fight the whole time.

“Two (wins) in a row feels good. We have a lot of new girls this season and it really feels like we are starting to gel now. It’s really exciting.

“The young girls are just getting a taste for it, so I’m excited to see how they develop from here.”

Mangan lauded a wonderful performance from goal attack Hughes, the Storm’s leading vote getter in last year’s Betty Thompson Medal count, and pivotal in Saturday’s fightback.

“We really missed her against Gisborne … she was away. But having her the last two games has made a real difference,” the Storm’s playing coach said.

“She’s been on fire. We are so excited she is back.

“But our team connection across the court is improving.

“We all get along really well and have a good balance between needing to be hard on each other at training, knowing no one makes a mistake on purpose, but having each other’s backs.

 

“That gives us the confidence to take risks in our passes, as we know everyone is going to back each other.”

Brennan and Brooke Mangan were key players in the second half resurgence for the Storm, while Layla O’Shea battled hard in defence against the Hawks quality VNL-experienced pairing of Chloe Langley and Mia McCrann-Peters.

With momentum building, Mangan said a priority going forward would be finding more court time for their talented youngsters, including some still playing 17-and-unders, and fine tuning the team’s defensive game.

“We really want to be showing them there is a pathway here at Strath,” she said.

“It was such a close game (on Saturday), but we had a lot of girls we wanted to get on the court and help develop them.

“Next week we’ll see a lot more subs, but we also want to come out hard and make sure we are practicing those defensive structures we couldn’t quite get in place today because we just had to play man-on-man and get the job done.

“There will be some plays and structures we really want to master.”

Eaglehawk coach Jannelle Hobbs could not hide her disappointment after the Hawks had led for the bulk of the game.

“I thought we had the game on our terms, but the second half, we just didn’t play to our potential,” she said.

“You can’t afford to do that against teams like Strath, they just keep coming back at you; they never give in.

“It’s a learning curve for this young side – I know we can play a lot better, so it’s disappointing.

“Event hough we didn’t beat South (on Anzac Day), we played 10 times better than that.

“It’s not like the girls went in complacent – they knew they were in for a hard game, but we are just not putting in four quarters at the moment, which kills you in this league.”

Dual best and fairest winner Morgan Keating was the pick of the Hawks in defence, while wing attack Ella Flavell worked hard throughout.

The Hawks had their chances to ice the game in the final quarter, but unlike the Storm, they were unable to keep their composure in crucial moments.

Hobbs warned the Hawks would need to put up a much-improved effort if they were to overcome an in-form and always tough-to-beat Gisborne this Saturday on the Bulldogs’ home court.

“With the ladder being tight, we couldn’t afford to drop (last Saturday’s game), especially against a team we are competing against for a finals spot,” she said.

“But full credit to them, they were a lot more composed in the last five minutes and that’s got them the win.

“We threw everything at them and put a lot on pressure, but we just couldn’t quite get it together.”