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<\/p>\n
“That gives us the confidence to take risks in our passes, as we know everyone is going to back each other.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“We really want to be showing them there is a pathway here at Strath,” she said.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“There will be some plays and structures we really want to master.”<\/p>\n
Eaglehawk coach Jannelle Hobbs could not hide her disappointment after the Hawks had led for the bulk of the game.<\/p>\n
“I thought we had the game on our terms, but the second half, we just didn’t play to our potential,” she said.<\/p>\n
“You can’t afford to do that against teams like Strath, they just keep coming back at you; they never give in.<\/p>\n
“It’s a learning curve for this young side \u2013 I know we can play a lot better, so it’s disappointing.<\/p>\n
“Event hough we didn’t beat South (on Anzac Day), we played 10 times better than that.<\/p>\n
“It’s not like the girls went in complacent \u2013 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.”<\/p>\n
Dual best and fairest winner Morgan Keating was the pick of the Hawks in defence, while wing attack Ella Flavell worked hard throughout.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“But full credit to them, they were a lot more composed in the last five minutes and that’s got them the win.<\/p>\n
“We threw everything at them and put a lot on pressure, but we just couldn’t quite get it together.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n