Hawks Netball’s Championship division team sits firmly inside the top four after a comprehensive win against Southern Saints in Round 4 of the Bupa Victorian Netball League.
Looking to atone for a tight four-goal loss against 2017 premiers DC North East Blaze in Round 3 and with a number of Hawks VFLW players watching on, the Hawks were on song from the outset, with a 19-goal first quarter helping them to an eight-goal lead into quarter-time.
The second quarter saw the Saints settle into the game, but a perfect 16/16 from Hawks goalers Kim Commane (47/50 for the match) and Tayla Shannon (10/11) ensured the Hawks extended their lead and took a 35-23 scoreline into half-time.
The third quarter brought a lift in defensive pressure from the Hawks, restricting Saints to just nine goals while adding another 16 of their own, and an 18-goal final term saw them cruise to a 69-43 win.
Wing defence Kaela Hughes was outstanding for the Hawks, earning three votes from the umpires in her best game of the season to date, while goal defence Clare Pettyfor and goal keeper Shannon Rennison also figured in the voting.
Hawks captain Nat Billings she was pleased with how the team had responded after coming up just short last week.
“I was really happy with how we played out the full four quarters. We were a little bit patchy at times but I’m really proud of how we managed to refocus and stay concentrated on getting the job done,” Billings said.
“We definitely weren’t too disappointed with our performance last week but I think we all knew we could play better than we did.”
“It was satisfying to have a solid win and get our full court flow back and continue to build on what we’ve been working hard on at training.”
The Hawks’ Championship team will look to make it four wins from five games when it takes on the winless Selkirk Sovereigns next Wednesday night.
DIVISION 1
The Hawks’ Division 1 team’s impressive start to the season hit a speed bump on Wednesday night as they went down 39-49 against Southern Saints.
Undefeated coming into Round 4, a tough start and a disappointing second half saw the Hawks drop their first game for the season, though they still remain a game clear inside the top four.
Down 2-6 early in the first quarter, the Hawks rallied to trail 10-12 at quarter-time and tightened the margin to a single goal at half-time.
But a seven-goal to 12 third quarter saw the Saints gain control, as the Hawks struggled to reestablish the connections that had served them well in a breakthrough win against DC North East Blaze last week.
The Hawks hung in there early in the final quarter before Saints pulled away again to notch a 10-goal win.
A second versus fourth battle looms next week as the Hawks take on the Selkirk Sovereigns.
19/UNDER
The Hawks’ 19/U team’s highest score of the season and a second-half fightback wasn’t quite enough to see them past Southern Saints.
Saints jumped out of the blocks with a 15-11 first quarter and took their lead out to seven goals at half-time.
But a 13-10 third quarter carried the Hawks right back into the hunt.
The young Hawks got within two goals, but the Saints were able to steady in the closing stages and register a six-goal win.
The Hawks have a great chance to get their season up and going next week when they take on the eighth-placed Selkirk Sovereigns in Round 5.