Round 6 action
The Busselton Magpies netball teams met the highly experienced Bunbury teams in their round of fixtures on Sunday. Both games had to be moved to the outdoor courts and this presented a number of challenges for both teams on a cool but windy day.
In the first game of the day, both teams struggled to score early as they adjusted to the conditions, with only five goals scored between them for the first quarter.
The young Busselton team worked hard to stay in the game and was happy to go into the half time break with only a two goal deficit. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Christie Thompson in defence and Patrice Ferrante in the centre court, Bunbury ran away with the game in the second half to win by 20 goals.
The open team took to the court eager for the contest with the undefeated Bunbury side. The team made a solid start to the game due to the accurate shooting of Steph Millen and a big defensive effort against a tall opponent by Jess Burge.
Busselton was in touch at the half time break with an eight goal deficit 24-16. Changes were made in the second half by both teams, but it was the alterations to the Bunbury line up that ultimately saw them well in control throughout this half.
With Lisa Smith moving into goal shooter as a tall post-up option and Kylie Glancy making the move into the attacking line up to pass into Smith with precision, Bunbury's scoring capacity increased. Millen continued to control the goal circle for Busselton and shot with accuracy, but the experience of Bunbury saw them run away with the game 52-30.
While it was another loss for the Busselton team, there were a number of positives to come out of the game, particularly as two of Bunbury's other wins for the season were by margins in excess of 35 goals. The teams will have a week off for the long weekend before coming up against South Bunbury at the South West Sports Centre on Sunday June 12.
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Round 5 action
With a week off for the open team in the South West Netball Football League, the Reserves team was the first to step out in the new Magpies uniforms on the weekend. They travelled to Harvey to take on the Bulls and came away with a disappointing 27 goal loss.
After a solid winning performance in their previous game, the Magpies were looking forward to backing up with a good performance in Harvey. However, a tall and overpowering goal option for the Harvey Bulls was too much for the young Magpies players to nullify as they struggled to stay in touch.
Looking forward, the Busselton teams are currently in a rebuilding phase with many young players still eligible for the under 17s competition making their debut at league and reserves level. This weekend both teams will take to the court on Sunday at the Geographe Leisure Centre against the experienced Bunbury teams.
In order for Busselton to stay in the hunt for wins this weekend, Sam Tenardi, who as a player still able to play at under 17s level has put in impressive performances at open level in defence, and Demi Thackrah and Alisha Overton as up and coming young goal shooters both performing well in the Reserves, will all be called on to play leading roles for their respective teams.
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Round 4 action
Busselton's two teams in the South West Netball Football League went head to head with Carey Park in their home games on the weekend. While the Reserves team came away with a solid win, the open team was disappointed to fall short by just one goal at the final siren after a spirited comeback.
In the earlier game, the young Magpies team took control early and held their nerve throughout to emerge with a 12 goal victory. In the back court, Christie Thomson and Kelsey Thiel played a smart and coordinated defensive pattern to consistently deny the Carey Park goalies, while at the other end of the court Demi Thackrah and Alisha Overton converted their opportunities to keep the score board ticking over.
When the Open team took to the court, they were looking to turn the tables on Carey Park who had recorded a five goal victory in their clash earlier in the season. As the game approached half time, the Magpies were consistently pegging Carey Park's lead back to just one goal, but then unfortunate turn overs every time they were in striking distance saw them take a five goal deficit into the second half.
Despite the efforts of wing attack Monique Ferrante, who was providing plenty of drive into the goal circle and the defensive pressure of young Sam Tenardi, the Magpies struggled through the third quarter to emerge even further behind at nine goals down. Typical of the spirit of the team, no one was prepared to give up and Busselton shocked Carey Park to convert the first seven goals of the final quarter. By this time it was game on and Chontelle Milner and Steph Millen were proving to be a dynamic duo in the goal circle, both shooting with accuracy.
The Magpies piled on 18 goals for the quarter and drew level at 43-all with less than a minute to go. However, with just seconds remaining, Carey Park converted their tenth goal for the quarter to hang on to a one goal victory.
This weekend, the Open team has the bye, while the reserves will travel to Harvey.
