ROUND 12 of the Victorian Netball League saw some close encounters and top of the ladder clashes with City West Falcons and Geelong Cougars facing off. The round also brought some big blowouts with the Ariels and Boroondara suffering another big loss.

North-East Blaze (70) defeated Peninsula Waves (40)

It was a convincing win by North-East Blaze running away with an impressive 30 goal win over the struggling Peninsula Waves. Blaze were a well-oiled machine both in defence and attack using their height up both ends to their advantage. Elizabeth Nicol had a day out under the post with the prolific shooter making the most of her opportunities with 58 goals from 62 attempts at an impressive 94 per cent. Sarah Hogan was also impressive in attack with eight goals and feeding well into Nicol, identifying the space and placing the ball to her teammates advantage. Through the midcourt Ella Bayliss, Kali Dolphin and Chloe Lambert attacked the ball hard and transitioned well to provide scoring opportunities for their side. Credit to the defensive pressure of Blaze the Waves struggled with accuracy to post with a combined shooting percentage of 69 with Brierly Parker, Madeline Morrison and Gabrielle Dwyer unable to capitalise on their opportunities.

Melbourne University Lightning (56) defeated Boroondara Express (32)

Melbourne University Lightning dominated against Boroondara Express with a solid four quarter performance to keep Express well and truly at bay. They led at each break increasing their lead as the match went on to run out 24 goal victors. The attack end fired thanks to Ella Bertacchini, Mikaela Vaughan and Rebecca Winch all finding the net with ease while the defensive pressure of Amy Wirth and Madeline Stewart played a big role in limiting Boroondara’s avenue to goal. Vaughan top scored with 32 goals from 37 attempts at 87 per cent with wing attack Jordan Cransberg feeding the ball well into her teammates and working hard to hit the circle edge with ease. Though Boroondara suffered a big loss Ashley Ryan was immense through the midcourt feeding the ball into Clare Vearing while Isabelle Hodgson also found good space to deliver the ball into the circle and put up 11 goals.

Southern Saints (66) defeated Ariels (39)

The Southern Saints went from strength to strength with their connections down court and timing second to none exploiting the vulnerabilities of the Ariels. It was a relatively even start before the Saints put their foot down and established a commanding 16 goal lead at three quarter time before extending the winning margin to 27 goals. Accuracy to post and the volume of shots proved to be the main difference between the two sides with the Saints sitting way out in front with 72 attempts and 92 percent as opposed to the Ariels who only managed 53 attempts and 74 per cent accuracy. Ella Quinlan was deadly under the post with 30 from 31 at 97 per cent while goal attack Sinead Lumsden also applying scoreboard pressure with 20 goals. Defensively Shannon Freeman, Stephanie McNay and Anna Donnelly all combined well to reduce the influence of Ariels shooters Beth Wilson and Stacey Gannon in the ring. Wilson was the most accurate and prolific shooter for the Ariels with 21 goals from 28 attempts at 75 per cent.

Geelong Cougars (53) defeated by City West Falcons (54)

It was an extremely close encounter with both sides going toe to toe for the entire match. The lead chopped and changed throughout the game with Geelong holding the lead early before City West fought back to draw even and push ahead to claim a one goal victory. Both sides were composed with ball in hand and treasured possession while capitalising on opportunities under the post. Tharjini Sivalingam proved to be unstoppable in the goal circle using her height and clever footwork to dominate in the air with a whopping 53 goals from 59 attempts at 90 per cent. Through the midcourt Molly Jovic and Maggie Lind worked their way through traffic to hit the circle edge and deliver ball into Sivalingam. Cougars defenders Victoria Honner and Jessica Standfield were with Honner providing good drive through the midcourt. Julia Woolley and Ruby Horton shared the load in attack with 25 and 28 goals respectively at a combined shooting accuracy of 83 per cent.

Hawks Netball (47) defeated by Casey Demons (56)

Both sides showcased their intensity and hunt for the ball with only one goal separating them at half time before the Demons surged ahead to claim a nine goal win. The Hawks were unable to maintain their pressure for the full four quarters with Casey piercing through the defence to feed the ball into shooting machine Emma Ryde who managed 23 from 27 at 86 per cent while Peri Stewart and Erin Bell both hit the scoreboard with Stewart highlighting her accuracy at 92 per cent. Wing attacks Shannon Blackman and Kassidy Withers found good space in the attacking third while down in defence Natasha Petroff and Karli Foster applied good hands over pressure. Daisy Hill was prolific for the Hawks scoring the bulk of their goals with 42 from 52 at 80 percent. Tayla Kearns and Lillian O’Sullivan were impressive on the drive using their quick hands and footwork to deliver ball into the goal circle.