A frantic first half of Saturday’s A-grade contest between Rochester and Euroa left the Tigerettes in the wake of the GVL’s ladder-leader.
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Rochester trailed by 25 goals on its home court at half-time after Euroa piled on 42 first-half goals and, despite slowing considerably in the second half, ended up winning 67-48.
Euroa now leads the competition, equal on points with Mooroopna and Tatura, at the end of nine rounds. Rochester sits seventh, six points outside the top six and with its most important month of netball ahead.
Rochester is equal on points with Shepparton United, which it faces at Deakin Reserve this weekend in a pre-bye contest. Round 11 is a split round for the competition and the Tigerettes are not due to play again until July 1.
They face ninth-ranked Shepparton Swans in that match and then have Kyabram (winless and second from bottom) before tackling a Shepparton team which is sitting precariously in sixth position, occupying the finals spot the Tigerettes are aiming for.
Rochester’s slow start against Euroa signalled several half-time changes. Ellie Cuttriss moved from wing attack to centre and Jaime Dingwall came on to the court for the second half.
After an unusually quiet first half, in which she shot just 10 goals, Teal Hocking piled on 12 goals in the third term and another nine in the last. Rochester outscored the top team in the final half of the match by seven goals as a result.
Bridgette Holt and Linda Rasmussen spent the entire match in goals, while Morgan Dingwall supported Hocking with 17 goals.
Lil Ward made way for Dingwall to come on in the second half, both having stepped up after playing a full B-grade match.
– Rochester’s B grade unit made it three wins in a row and now sits fifth on the lader with matches against three teams below it in the next month.
Charlotte Gould had a day out in the goaling circle, shooting 21 goals in a dominant second half when Rochester dominated the match.
Euroa was fifth going into the match and led Rochester by one goal at the first break. That lead remained at the half when both teams scored 10 goals in the second term.
That’s when Gould and Leila Palmer, with the support of a mid court that included Rachel Whipp, Charlie Roulstonand Lil Ward, took control. Rochester scored 29 goals to 10 after half time to eventually win 51-33.
Jaime Dingwall and Teaghan Vallely spent the entire match in defence, dominating the rebounds in the second half.
• Rochester’s B-reserve status as a top-three team was challenged on Saturday when it let a half-time lead slip and lost by four goals to Euroa.
Since drawing with Mooroopna in round six, the Tigerettes had secured an 11-goal win against Mansfield and a one-goal victory against Benalla, setting up the match with finals aspirant Euroa on Saturday.
Euroa won the match 43-39 after trailing by three at half-time. There was only one goal separating the teams at three-quarter time, but a 13-10 last term for Euroa secured it a victory and means it sits just two points outside the top six. Rochester is fifth.
Krystal Conder was a force for the Tigers in the mid-court, starting at wing attack before moving into the centre and providing a constant stream of scoring opportunities for Zali Hocking, who shot 29 of Rocehster’s 39 goals.
Hocking shot all 13 Tigerettes goals in the first term, fed the ball consistently by Hannah Egglestone, before spending time in the goaling circle with Ella McPhee and Payton Tiller in the second half.
Rochester used 11 players in the match, with Grace Ingram the pick of the defensive unit.
• At under-17 level, the team made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season when a dominant third term broke the shackles of a determined Euroa.
Euroa, ranked 11th in the competition, trailed by just four goals at quarter-time and outscored the Tigerettes in the second term to reduce the margin to three.
It was, however, a 13-3 third term that gave Rochester the edge and gave the team a 47-33 win. The team faces a tough month, sitting seventh on the ladder now, but with matches against top-four teams Shepparton, Kyabram and Shepparton Swans in the next month.
The top five teams are clear of Rochester and Echuca, which are involved in a three-way battle for the last spot in the finals with Seymour.
Justice Powles had a standout second term after Georgia Norman had given the Tigerettes the early advantage with her speed before interchanging with Monica Ingram.
Payton Tiller (29 goals) combined first with Kaitlyn Joyce (14 goals) and in the last term with Ingram (four goals) to post a winning score.
Strong rebounding by Maddy influenced the Tigerettes’ dominant third term, while Charlie Weeks’ three quarters on a wing and Tara Atley’s four-quarter goal-keeping effort were worthy of mention.
• Rochester’s under-15 team needs wins against three teams above it on the ladder in order to make a second half of the season run at the finals.
The Tigerettes registered a third win for the season against 10th-ranked Euroa on Saturday and now sit seventh on the ladder, two games behind Kyabram and Shepparton Swans, who they play in the next few rounds.
They need a win against Shepparton United (ninth) this weekend to close the gap on the top six, after beating Euroa 42-25 at the weekend thanks to a brilliant final term.
Mid-court trio Leah Toohill, Matilda Anderson and Sophie Joyce set a high standard early, providing goalers Marli Cottam and Lexi McKenzie with plenty of scoring opportunities.
Cottam spent the entire match at goal attack and finished with 31 goals, McKenzie shooting eight and Jaz Milligan three in her one quarter in goals.
Chance Powles combined with Maddie Howard and Imogen Kath, with their defensive work rewarded late in the match when they allowed the Euroa goalers just three conversions for the final term.
Cottam shot 10 of the Tigerettes’ 13 goals in the final term after there was only seven goals separating the teams at the final change.
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