This week the boys took on Tarrawingee on their home deck and looking for their first win of the season.
The first quarter provided plenty of pressure and good ball movement and was a great contest, with Tarra getting a goal late to have a 11-point lead at the first break.
The second quarter started like the first with the All Blacks having plenty of the ball and giving themselves scoring opportunities but inaccurate kicking had them down by nine points at the main break.
The third quarter was again a tight contest but some skills errors by the Panthers resulted in goals to Tarrawingee and the Panthers’ inaccurate kicking (four behinds) allowed the visitors to have a 21-point lead at the last break.
The boys were asked to dig deep and find another gear, and to try and outscore the opposition in the last to hopefully bring home their first win.
The boys had the majority of the play but again were unable to convert, kicking one goal six behinds to Tarrawingee’s four goals one behind to give the visitors a 34-point win. Congratulations to Jordan Smith (150 games) and Ahren McNab (100 games) on their milestones.
The boys now have a good two-week break which will hopefully allow for some of their injured players to recover ready for the back end of the season.
Awards: Chelton Orchard: Royal Hotel Award. Sportspower Award: Patrick McDonald. Benalla Golf Club Driving Range Award: Kieran Linke.
A-grade Netball
Awards: Royal Hotel: Meagan Hausner. Stella Stella: Eliza Sammon. Sportspower: Chloe Pilkington.
Saturday’s match-up saw Benalla take on a well-oiled Tarrawingee unit at home. Our girls knew it was going to be a hard day on the court with co-coach Georgia Spencer, Mikaylah Lessing and Olive Moon all out for Saturday’s game. Despite a different look team out on the court the girls combined well with new combinations thrown at them. Meghan Hausner was a standout for Benalla. Meags is a workhorse on the netball court every week, running non-stop and working overtime to get the ball into the hands of our shooters as well as taking intercepts and having huge second efforts. Eliza Sammon joined the All Blacks for Saturday’s match where she slotted straight in as if she’d been there all along. Eliza played a key roll in goal defence where she managed multiple hands to balls and really made her opponents works for everything they got. Chloe Pilkington had another solid game in goal keeping, coming up against one of the toughest shooters in the O&K league. Chloe adapted well and put into play all things she’s been working so hard on at training. Despite a huge four-quarter effort from the girls Benalla went down at the final siren 32-85.
B-grade
Awards: Jemma Smith: Royal Hotel. Haylea Smith: Stella Stella. Lilly Robertson: Milner Watson Pharmacy.
Back on the home court this week the Panthers lined up against Tarrawingee. A nervous start from the home side saw some unforced errors, giving Tarra the opportunity to get a jump on the scoreboard early. Once the Panthers settled into the game we saw some beautiful passages of play across the court. Lilly Robertson played a great game in goal attack, creating plenty of space for the mids to feed into the ring.
Down the other end of the court the defenders were seeing plenty of the ball but continued to work hard putting lots pressure on the opposition. Haylea Smith again positioned herself well to pull in any available rebounds and pick off balls she also worked hard to bring the ball down the court and into the attacking end. Jemma Smith stepped her game up this week earning herself a best on court. After being asked to focus on things worked on at training Jem put in the effort to apply these to her game together with her fellow shooters. Her defensive pressure saw plenty of tips and some turnovers for her team throughout the match. Unfortunately for our girls, Tarrawingee was too good on the day coming away with the win 68 to Benalla’s 27.
Under-17s
Awards: Torah Heeps: Harleys Pizza. Libby Renkin: Spot 4 Icecream. Alicia Langlands: All Blacks Club Award.
For the first time all year the under-17s went into Saturday with a full side of nine with a few coming back from illness and injury. This meant we were able to try some new combinations and even though it was a tough ask for the young Panthers side, their determination and willingness to work hard was on display from start to finish. Torah Heeps worked hard in goal attack, making some fabulous hard drives and once again defending well down the court. Libby Renkin was able to put the very accurate Tarrawingee shooters under massive defensive pressure, getting plenty of tips and fingers to the ball. Alicia Langlands ran hard through the middle, making great decisions with the ball in attack. Although Tarra was too strong on the scoreboard, the Panthers continue to show great improvement week in and week out.
Under-15s
Awards: Hollywoods Pizza: Olivia Mackenzie. Spot 4 Icecream: Sharni Hughes. All Blacks Club award: Ilka Cuneen.
The young Panthers started their game nice and strong with our defenders working super hard all game, getting multiple intercepts and rebounds. The girls moved the ball well down the court, allowing our mid-court players to feed beautifully into our attacking circle. Ilka Cunneen had a ripper game in goals this week, working well with her teammates and positioning herself nicely in the ring to allow space to receive the ball. Sharni Hughes had her best game of the season, getting multiple intercepts and turnovers throughout the game as well as backing up her teammates when needed. Olivia McKenzie also had a strong game in defence this week, getting multiple rebounds and intercepts. The under-15s side continues to show improvement and ability to play competitive netball each week. Final score 28, 8.