BROADFORD’S A grade netballers had a hard-fought win in Alexandra on Saturday, coming out on top 57 to 47.
Broadford took the lead early and never let it go. At the end of the first quarter, the Kangaroos were up 15 to 11.
A Grade coach Ash Chapman said the side overcame some set-backs to return to the winner’s list, following a heavy loss to Warburton-Millgrove in the last game in round six.
“We had a really strong start to the game, settling into our adjusted team line up, as we are juggling injuries and player availability,” he said.
“As with any new line-up it can take time to settle in, however each player really played their role to make it happen.”
Chapman said an injury to goal shooter Renee Sari forced him to make positional changes.
“Renee went down late in the first quarter – a real loss to the side as she was having an exceptional game shooting 12/12 goals at the time,” he said.
“The injury required young gun and joey Shayla White to come back on the court and she played a great game.
“The injury forced me to make changes and adjust the line up [but] this didn’t slow us down at all.”
Broadford continued its momentum in the second quarter, extending its lead to 30, while keeping Alexandra to 19.
Coming out of the half the Rebels tested the Kangaroos, outscoring Broadford 17-14 and shrinking the lead 36 to 44.
“In the second half Alexandra really took it to us and wrestled the momentum in their favour,” Chapman said.
“However, we weathered the storm brilliantly and managed to win the ball with some strong defence.”
Broadford had a strong final quarter and came out on top, winning the game by 10 goals.
“We are really growing as a team and thrive on the tough moments in games where we have to think through hard situations. We see these moments are opportunities to shine,” Chapman said.
“I was really proud of how the team stepped up without our captain Ally Black, who is injured, and Renee Sari on the court. We have incredible depth and versatility in our team to give us confidence moving forward.
“It was pleasing to see the group roll with the punches and momentum changes in the game. We have been working hard at training on enduring pressure to still execute our skills.
“I am thrilled to see our confidence and strategies transferring into our game play as our connections keep growing. Our midcourt was really solid in handling the ball with speed through the court, especially when we got turnovers we were able to convert.
“As a team we did a really good job at building pressure and staying in play which helped us create intercepts and turnover ball.”
Stand out performances on the day include Bree Chapman in centre controlling and leading the midcourt, and Chloe Meulenmeesters who was a strong target under the post. Megan Berger was also a strong leader in defence for the entire match.
“With Ally Black not on court we instantly lose leadership on court. Bree Chapman really stepped up as acting captain, having a really solid performance in centre. She handled the ball a lot and controlled the ball to find our shooters with great feeds,” Chapman said.
“Chloe Meulenmeesters was solid by providing a strong target under some intense physical contests. Her connection with the attacking unit has really developed and she stood up for us.
“Megan Berger is pivotal to the success of our defence. She really grinds her defender down over 60 minutes. She came up with some important turnover ball and rebounds in the last quarter, which was a nice reward for the hard work early in the match.”
Under 17s netballer Leah O’Dell also made her A grade debut after coming back from a knee injury she sustained preseason.
“Her resilience and commitment to returning from her injury has been outstanding for such a young player. I was really proud to see her finally get rewarded for all of the hard work,” Chapman said.
Broadford are currently third on the ladder and will face second-placed Yarra Glen in a competitive home game on Saturday.
The two sides faced each other in round two, with Broadford losing by 10.
“Last time we played we learnt a lot and had opportunities that we let slide. We have grown a lot since then and really look forward to testing ourselves out against a new challenge,” Chapman said.
All four of Broadford’s netball teams scored wins over Alexandra.
Football
Broadford seniors couldn’t find the same success against Alexandra, going down by 99 points, 5.7 (37) to 21.10 (136).
Alexandra came out strong in the first dominating the game by 37 points. Broadford was contained to one goal while Alexandra piled on seven giving them a comfortable lead.
The second quarter didn’t get any better for Broadford with the Rebels extending their lead 14.4 (88) to Broadford’s 2.3 (15).
Alexandra continued on its way after half-time, with the margin out to 80 points by the last change, and ballooning to 99 points by game’s end.
Players named in the best for Broadford were Adam Miles, Jayme Ruedin, Lachlan Phillips, Bryce Fleming, Dean Tydell and Charles Neilson.
