Blues netballers given a real shake up by Barellan visitors
Wednesday July 15, 2009
Cobar Blues Netball A Grade defenders Vanessa Kurta (centre defending) and Amie Jacklin (GD) once again had outstanding games for their side against Barellan in their Northern Riverina League competition match on Saturday at Ward Oval. Kurta was named Players’ Player and Jacklin collected the Coach’s Award.
The Cobar Blues A and B Grade representative netball teams were given a real shake up by visitors Barellan at Ward Oval on Saturday for Round 12 of the Northern Riverina League competition.
Both games produced shocks for Cobar with the previously unbeaten Blues B Graders outclassed by the Barellan B team, which sits in second place on the competition ladder, and the Cobar A Graders recorded a draw in their match against the bottom of the table side.
In the B Grade game, Barellan took control from the outset and ran away to a 12-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. They continued to dominate play and extended the margin to
21-12 at half time and maintained that pressure to be 10 goals ahead at the end of the third quarter.
It wasn’t until the final quarter that the Cobar side showed flashes of its former brilliance to fight their way back into the match and finished down six goals at game’s end.
Coach Gerard Francisco said he was not overly concerned about the team’s first loss of the competition on Saturday.
“We’ve had a break with the bye last week and I expect this loss could reinvigorate the team for the final two competition games and also the semis,” Coach Francisco said.
“Now if this game had of been a semi final, then I would have been worried.”
The A Grade match was a close one, however Cobar led at each break and it seemed they would also finish the game ahead of their lower placed opposition.
However Cobar did not factor in the passion and determination of the Barellan side who were ecstatic to finish the game with a draw.
At the conclusion of the match, Barellan’s shooter apologised for her team’s over enthusiastic screaming and cheering, explaining that the side had only recorded two wins in the past two years of the competition, thus the reason for their excitement with Saturday’s draw.
Cobar’s defence was outstanding in both matches with Coach’s Awards going to the Goal Defenders Amie Jacklin (A Grade) and Karlee Davis (B Grade). Both Goal Keepers Vanessa Kurta (A Grade) and Sarah Irvine (B Grade) were named Players’ Player.
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