An unstoppable 56-goal Donnell Wallam performance has gifted the West Coast Warriors a crushing 69-52 win, sinking fellow finals hopefuls Curtin Hamersley Comets in Round 8 of the Gold Industry Group West Australian Netball League.
If the Warriors weren’t already championship favourites, they certainly are now, with match-winners found all across the court.
Even when double-teamed, Wallam dominated the Comets defence, with expert passes from the mid-court led by Warriors captain Helen Taylor, making scoring simple for the goal shooter.
Speaking after the game, Taylor had nothing but praise for the Warriors’ prized goal shooter.
“She’s so reliable under the post, she’s such a strong target.” She said.
“You can’t really fault her performance, I love playing with her.”
The Comets came into the game looking to rectify their round one loss against the Warriors, where they were beaten by 35 goals.
But it was Taylor and the Warriors who burst out of the blocks in the opening minutes, swamping the Comets defence as they rushed out to a 19-12 quarter time lead.
In a practised tactic, the Warriors took full advantage of Wallam’s height and size compared to her opponents, with a number of lob passes thrown on the top of her head proving hard to counter.
Taylor said the strategy with Wallam would only take them so far.
“They (Curtin) adapted their game plan to combat our long balls into Nellie, so at the centre court we had to work a bit more short and sharp,” she said.
“We’re a bit lazy a times and we just bomb it into Nell; we don’t want to become that predictable team.”
Incredible defensive work in the second quarter from the Warriors bought them a 35-23 half-time advantage, but it was in the third where they really showed why they’re the best in the competition right now.
With goal attack Maddison O’Regan working her way into the game, she and Wallam were fed perfect passes as the Warriors doubled the Comets in goals in the third quarter, resulting in an unassailable 55-33 lead.
The game was not a complete loss for the Comets, with standout performances from defender Ella Taylor and goal shooter Sarah East (34/37) helping the Comets win the last quarter by 5 goals.
Both teams now have a seven day break ahead of them, with the Warriors booked for a clash against the Western Roar on August 21 at 6.15pm at Gold Netball Centre, and the Comets set to face the Jets later that night at 8.30pm.
