Lakeside netball, grand final, formidable, premiers and wow! I better stop with the synonyms and get onto the game.
The stage was set on a balmy Friday evening. Delta Goodrem was the special guest singer to belt out a thunderous rendition
of our treasured national anthem. After the formalities it was down to business and a spirited Lakeside Netball team flew out of the blocks. A furious first quarter was underway and the girls were dominant all over the court. Emily Thomson, our beloved captain, led from the front with sensational defence and slick passes to our attacking players.
The lead had jumped out to 7 by the start of the second term on the back of some quality shooting from Jane Scheetz with nimble and creative play from Lauren Allan allowing Scheetz to control the attacking ring. Lenore Smith entered the game with immediate impact. Not only was her attack on the ball impressive but the secret compartments in her bodysuit to conceal tissues and other similar performance enhancing aids just as valuable. Annie Mac was everywhere in the quarter to provide plenty of forward thrusts, that's correct, forward thrusts, in the netball sense, for her team. A half time lead had developed to around double figures with the game at the mercy of the Lakeside juggernaut.
The second half progressed as expected. St Marys were providing some serious opposition and cut the lead back to around 6 goals at one point but the experienced Lakeside superstars stood up. Ali May was terrific in the defensive ring as well as support from Jess Grech and Veronica to wrestle the lead back out to 8 goals at the last change.
The last quarter saw no heart palpitations for any coaching staff as the girls sailed out to an astounding dozen-goal lead. Jane continued her remarkable shooting and capped off a tremendous night with 18 goals for the game plus the unanimous choice for most valuable player in the game. Monners, from Sydney, was adequate in the centre court. I lie, she was outstanding and controlled the game for much of the night. She could sense a glass of wine and a premiership cup wasn't far away.
As the final whistle sounded the girls were ecstatic as the euphoria set in. A famous victory for a deserving team. The coaches were full of adulation for the players and we even snuck in a quote from co-coach Adam McKenzie, “The girls have been champions all season and tonight was a perfect reward”. Medals were presented and the cup and flag flaunted with pride. A truly memorable night.
Last Modified on 08/09/2012 09:27