Hoping for a win: Abbey and Dorinda Watson prior to the Kyabram B-reserve netball match at Seymour’s King’s Park on Saturday.
A 15-goal last quarter wasn’t quite enough to make up for Kyabram’s slow start to its under-17 netball contest at King’s Park, Seymour on Saturday in the sixth round of Goulburn Valley league matches.
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Seymour led at every change in the match between the sixth and eighth ranked teams in the competition, by three at quarter-time, seven at the half and by 11 at the final change.
Jemae Miller, who had shot 14 goals in the first three quarters, exploded in the last and shot 11 goals.
It was not enough, however, and Kyabram lost the contest by two — 39-41.
Miller finished among the best, but it was again defender Stella Trezise who set the tone and finished as the main contributor with her work alongside Grace Burnett and later Rose Cunningham.
Cunningham spent three quarters in attack, shooting 10 goals before moving to defence.
Charlie Gregory was the pick of the mid-court players as none of the seven players used spent the entire four quarters in the same position.
Kyabram has 11th ranked Tatura this weekend, before tough assignments against the third and top ranked teams — Shepparton Swans and Shepparton.
Winning smiles: Mia Stockdale’s Kyabram under-15 team dominated three quarters of its match with Seymour and mum Jackie was a proud onlooker for the 20-goal win, her daughter playing mostly in the centre for the Bombers.
• Kyabram’s only win for the round six draw came in the under-15 game, dominating its winless opponent from the outset and ending up a 20-goal winner.
The 49-29 win came on the back of 40 goals from Ella Hooper and the defensive work of Ruby Barker.
Seymour did not allow the Bombers four unchallenged quarters and after trailing by 19 goals at three-quarter time, the teams shot 29 goals between them in an entertaining final term — Kyabram outscoring its opponent by just one goal.
Rachael Polvere was the pick of the mid-court players, working in tandem with Mia Stockdale.
Winnable games against middle of the table teams Tatura and Shepparton Swans are ahead of the team, followed by a round nine appointment with top team Shepparton.
Proud mum: Defensive star Courtney Mason was best on court for Kyabram in its B-grade match with Seymour, but found time to give mum Mel some flowers in the lead up to Mother’s Day.
• Micaela Herbert came into the Kyabram A-grade team for its match with long-time league powerhouse Seymour, which was fifth before the weekend’s round.
She partnered with Natasha Dodos to produce the Bombers’ best period of the game in the first quarter. Dodos shot eight of the 11 goals and Kyabram trailed by just one at quarter-time.
The next three quarters, however, belonged to Seymour and the 20-goal difference between the teams in that time frame led to a 32-53 defeat for the Bombers.
Neither team made any significant change to its team in the opening three terms, Dodos shooting 22 of her team’s 27 goals in that time and finished with 25 for the match.
Isla Carver played the entire quarter in the centre, having three different opponents for the match, while Abby Waasdorp’s work at wing attack was also recognised among the better contributions for the team.
Early present: Rachel and Anna Polvere before the under-15 game where the mid-court star was among the best players in a 20-goal win for the Bombers.
• Tenth-ranked Kyabram gave its fourth-placed Seymour opposition an early fright in the opening half of their game, the teams dead level at quarter-time.
With Micaela Herbert required for A-grade duties she spent only the first half on the court, shooting 11 of her team’s 12 first quarter goals as the Bombers were brilliant early.
She was replaced by Abby Watson at half-time, who spent the rest of the game in tandem with Hannah Newman.
Ebony Arnold also came onto the court, in defence, Kyabram using 10 players for the game. Only Newman, Courtney Mason and Bridie Whitford spent the entire four quarters on the court.
Ali Hall started in defence and later moved to centre, among the Bombers’ best as Seymour shot 48 goals to 19 in the final three terms — winning 60-31.
While the Bombers sit 10th on the ladder, they face two teams directly above them on the ladder in the next fortnight to provide the impetus for a rise up the table.
• Second-ranked B-reserve team Seymour set up an early lead that Kyabram could never reel in at the King’s Park courts — despite 27 goals from in-form goaler Elli Kiker.
Nine players were used by the team in the game, with Maddie Hamilton coming onto wing attack at half-time and having an immediate impact.
Kyabram outscored its highly ranked opponent 9-8 in the third quarter and maintained the range in the last to end up losing 48-33.
Laura Papalia’s mid-court work was outstanding and Ebony Arnold came in to a defensive role after quarter time to give Tearna Filbey and Josephine Farrant support.
Kyabram has the 10th and 11th ranked teams as opposition in the next two weeks and will be hoping to surge up the ladder before facing top team Shepparton in round nine.
