Chocolates for everyone! Kalamunda and Noranda tie epic Valentines Day Div2 duel

It was a final quarter that all sports fans love to watch. A thrilling come-back to what was considered Noranda’s game at half time.  Kalamunda & Districts displayed great tenacity after trailing by 14-goals in the second quarter, to finish the game equal with their opponents.

The first quarter saw both clubs start enthusiastically, evident through their energetic communication and body language.  We saw some insight into the final outcome with 6-goals apiece half-way through, yet this started to turn in the latter half with some wayward passes in Kalamunda's offensive third. The whistle blew with Noranda leading by just 5-goals.

Coming into the second, some interchanges were made in the mid-court by both clubs. Of note was Holly Smith who came into wing defence for Noranda.  Smith displayed a solid performance with her defensive pressure and no doubt contributed to the momentum increase. We saw the green team settle into their game with composure, whilst at the shooting end, Jessica Orchard was in-charge at goal shoot, firing with precision at the long-range and equally holding close to her net.  

At the other end,  Kalamunda displayed some impressive passages to score. However at times they found it hard to find their own game, and were found lacking some intensity in the goal circle. Goal shooter Olivia Noel had the height advantage, yet keeper, Lauren Clough, had her contained.  Clough performed very well in this quarter given her skill-set lies at the other end in shooting.  She was out of her comfort-zone covering the absence of two key defenders, who were reportedly on some planned leave.

Some continuous errors saw Kalamunda fall deep in the late minutes of the second, trailing by a significant 14 goals.  A couple of amazing intercepts by goal defence Melissa Mitchell provided some opportunity to recover.  The sharp vision by wing attack Tehya Reynold-Harris found Noel at the post from afar, thus closing the gap by a couple leading into half-time. Noranda lead by a comfortable 12-goals at the break.

The third quarter was the game-changer. Interestingly, there were some changes by Noranda with shifts across three positions. Kalamunda also altered their combinations substantially.  Right from the start, Kalamunda found their confidence and began to play their own brand of netball.  The change of player strategy showed that the black and yellow were well coached, dramatically changing the dynamic of the game.

There was an entertaining contest between wing attack Ellie Jones (Noranda) and wing defence Renee Flemming that created good viewing in the mid-court.  Noel in the goal-circle started taking mid-range shots and showed her best quarter with more diversity and accuracy.  They finished the third with a replicate of the first, 5-goals the difference to Noranda.

A strong sense of hope was radiating from the bench of Kalamunda. Wing attack, Emily Fuller was a stand-out in the nail-biting finish. She played the ball with unpredicted delivery to her shooting duo, leaving them to finish the job.

After playing three quarters a piece, both ends for Noranda came to the bench with Clough and Orchid taking the seat for the final. With fresh legs, Courtney Fuller performed well in goal keep. Yet this change was not enough to stop the continued determination of her shooting opponent.  

In the last, Kalamunda came back quickly to tie the game at the 12-min mark.  From that point on, we saw a large portion of the fourth quarter intense and tight, with only a couple of goals the difference.  With 11 minutes remaining, Kalamunda took the lead for first time in the game and the frustration was clear with Noranda not forecasting the shift.

Team-cohesion was winning the game in this quarter, with strong connections at both ends of the court. Umpires were holding time to correct penalty’s and clarify the call as both teams begged for the ball.  It was just time that left the game undecided, with the final blow resulting in nail-biting 56 aside tie.

“We were obviously gutted that we tied after a 14-goal lead, but some of the combinations we had just didn’t work for us in the end”. Julianne Bingham, Head Coach for Noranda said post match.

Nonetheless, neither team came out with a loss, so not a bad outcome.  No doubt the heated game will provide some valuable learning points as they move into the third-round next week for the Open Div 2 Competition.

Next week the Div 2 competition play for their first points towards the championship ladder. Kalamunda taking on Belmont, and Noranda taking on Southern Districts.   
 

Other results from round two;

Opens Div 1
Perth 46 defeat Swan Districts 43
Kalamunda 72 defeat Peel 21
Fremantle 57 defeat Wanneroo 33
Success 45 defeat RDNA Breakers 41

​Opens Div 2
Noranda 56 tie Kalamunda 56
Belmont 54 defeat Mandurah 46
Southern Districts 81 defeat Joondalup 48

​U18 Div 1
RDNA Breakers 51 defeat Fremantle 45
Perth 41 defeat Joondalup 34
Wanneroo 43 defeat Noranda 30
Kalamunda 52 defeat Peel 26

U18 Div 2
Mandurah 44 tie Swan Districts 44
Geraldton 55 defeat Success 38
Geraldton 42 defeat Southern Districts 23

Swan Sports is run by passionate volunteer contributors. If you love netball and have an interest in sports writing or photography, we would love to hear from you. We are currently seeking enthusiastic people to join our team to cover upcoming Metro and WANL fixtures. No experience needed - support, advice and guidance will be given.

Email  to register your interest.