Round 11 of the Gold Industry Group West Australian Netball League took us to Jets’ home court on Saturday where Western Roar and ECU Souwest Jets called it even in a 46-46 draw.
Roar started the game with first possession along with missed opportunities at goal. Jets’ keeper, Brooke O’Connor, got her hands on the ball with some assistance from GD, Ruth Aryang, who created a turnover which interrupted the play for Roar and caused havoc in Roar’s attacking circle.
Roars’ goalkeeper, Annabel Saggers, started what ended up being a consistent, stand out performance for her in this game as she won the ball in her opposition’s attacking circle. Turnovers for Roar became crucial while they trailed behind Jets, they struggled to find shooter combinations due to Jets’ defenders leaving little to no space for opportunities at goal.
Two minutes after the whistle blew for the commencement of the second quarter, Jets star centre Ella Eastaugh went down and was escorted off court with a suspected ACL injury. During the time break, both teams used the opportunity to regroup and change positions to best benefit their sides.
Roar restarted and found the shooter combination they were looking for in the first quarter. Winger, Abbey Thomas, did the most to get her hands to the ball and help Roar find their way into the lead. Jets were unsettled and startled in the absence of their centre player as they conceded 17 goals, seeing Roar gain an eight-goal advantage heading into the second half.
Jets went into the second half of the game with play to close the margin as long ball feeds went through to Giselle Taylor who held high; allowing space in the back to receive the ball and place herself near goal.
Intercepts and a turnover in the circle by Goalkeeper, Brooke O’Connor, once again led to a goal for Jets in a repetitive play of a long ball from the transition line by Riley Culnane through to the shooters as Jets found rhythm and scored four consecutive goals. Jets dominated the third quarter, however, went into the final quarter in a seven-goal deficit.
The final quarter saw Jets take the game back, as the build-up of the previous quarter left the players hungry for the ball. It got physical in the defending circle as Roar struggled to score while Jets’ GS, Giselle Taylor, had no hands over pressure allowing her to score with ease early on. Ruth Aryang intercepted a long ball as she found herself switched from GD to GK, and her side used this advantage to score off the turnover as Jets went on a mission to tighten the lead Roar had created.
Roar’s Abbey Thomas continued to find Sophia Lamers under the post who, of course, found the net. With only 45 seconds on the clock, both teams found themselves going goal for goal. The crowd intensified as Jets scored one to take the lead for the first time in the game only for Roar to retaliate with one final goal for the game to end in a draw.
It was a bittersweet end for Roar as the lead slipped away and Jets managed a great comeback after being down for half the game. The fight for top four is on with finals fast approaching.
OPEN DIVISION LADDER
1 West Coast Warriors 16
2 ECU Souwest Jets 11
3 East Freo Sharks 10
4 Western Roar 9
5 Curtin Hamersley Comets 8
6 Southside Demons 8
7 Rangers 6
8 Peel Lightning 4
