MNL | Gallery | Trio of frantic finishes headline seismic round of A-grade netball

By Zac Standish

Jul 24, 2022

Crunch time: Moama's Stephanie Watson and Tongala's Gemma Brennan battle for possession. Photo by Steve Huntley

The landscape of the 2022 A-grade Murray Netball League season was flipped on its head at the weekend following a trio of round 15 thrillers.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Finley headlined the action with a crucial 40-39 win over Congupna to keep its hopes of a top six finish alive.

Welcoming a Congupna team sitting one spot below them in eighth place on the ladder, it was always going to be a crucial game for the Cats, with a loss all but ending their season.

With this in mind, the home team came out firing, opening up a solid early lead to put pressure on the struggling Road.

Firing away: Moama's Sienna Agg passes to a teammate. Photo by Steve Huntley

But as has been a theme all season long, Congupna battled its way back into the contest, producing a dominant second half to hit the front late in the piece.

As it season looked to be slipping away, 15-year-old Daisy Daniel would step up, barging in head-first to win a crucial ball, before Finley converted to get back in front as the siren sounded.

Concentration: Moama's Stephanie Watson shoots for goal. Photo by Steve Huntley

The Cats’ fourth win from its last five games, coach Savannah Wilson was brimming the pride following the crucial victory.

“We showed really consistent defensive pressure all day, we forced a lot of turnovers and made the most of those opportunities in our attack end,” Wilson said.

Eyes on the prize: Moama's Lisa Drysdale takes possession of the ball. Photo by Steve Huntley

“When Congupna came hard at us, it was our defenders that really stood up in that last quarter with our pressure a real highlight.

“Daisy’s effort to go head-first and put her body on the line to win that intercept really highlighted our intensity all day and desperation to win.

Strong hands: Moama's Tiarna Steel and Tongala's Amelia Brock do battle for possession. Photo by Steve Huntley

“We worked as a team really well in those last two minutes and got over the line which was great.”

Wilson highlighted a number of players who really stood out in the win.

“Daisy Daniel was awesome in defence all day, with that game-winning intercept the cream of what was an outstanding game,” she said.

Fierce look: Moama's Stephanie Watson looks for another goal under heavy pressure. Photo by Steve Huntley

“Holly Robertson was very impressive in our attack end, she was driven, determined and applied great pressure all over the court.

“Katie Archer was also excellent all day and was a great communicator, keeping us in great stead.”

A win that keeps the Cats’ finals hopes alive, Wilson said they were full of confidence heading into the final three rounds of the season.

Battling it out: Moama's Stephanie Watson is blocked by two Tongala defenders. Photo by Steve Huntley

“After a slow start to the year I think what has turned our form around has been our communication on court,” she said.

“We are playing with a lot more confidence in each other now, the hunger is certainly there to get that final spot in the finals, so the challenge now is to keep that form rolling and win our last three games.”

Deniliquin Rams showed it was the Murray League’s top dog, triumphing over Rumbalara 40-37 in a thrilling contest at Hardinge Street Oval.