Rochester sits just outside the Goulburn Valley’s top six A-Grade netball teams after headlining a quadrella of victories for the club against Benalla on Saturday, the first time this season the Tigerettes have walked away with wins in all grades.
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With the Under-15 team sitting on the sidelienes, due to the club’s opponent not having a team in the competition, the A-Grade team was a 15-goal winner, B-grade won by 24 goals, the B-Reserve team won a thriller by a goal and the Under-17 team had an eight-goal win.
Rochester’s A-Grade team now sits just two points outside top six with only next week’s game - against second ranked Euroa — pitting it opposite a team inside the top six.
After after matches against Shepparton United, Shepparton Swans and Kyabram (for indigenous round) the team faces sixth-ranked Shepparton in a match that could see it cement a place in the top six with only five rounds of the season to contest.
Ava Cottam moved into the goal defence role for the match, in Linda Rasmussen’s absence, with Teal Hocking starting outside the goaling circle at wing attack and Annie Hughes in goals.
An unsettled Tigerettes line-up led by one at quarter time, Hughes and Morgan Dingwall both shooting five goals for the term.
Cottam worked with Holt in defence and, together with wing defender Ellie Cuttriss extended the lead to two goals by half-time.
Hocking moved back into goals for the second half and finished with 14 goals, supporting Dingwall’s 21-goal afternoon.
Ella Roulston combined well with her goalers, her give and go passing allowing the Tigerettes to dominate the second half to the tune of a 27-14 scoreline — eventually winning 48-33.
A Harlem globetrotter-style “flick” from Hocking to Dingwall in the final term was a highlight of the match.
— Wet courts proved challenging Rochester’s B-grade team, which moved into the six with its fourth win of the eight-week-old season.
A five-goal quarter-time lead was extended to eight at half-time before Benalla bounced back.
The Tigerettes dominated the final term to the tune of an 18-4 scoreline, winning the match and securing sixth spot on percentage with a 52-29 scoreline.
It has the chance to improve further next week when it faces fifth-ranked Euroa, before three weeks of netball against teams below it on the ladder.
Accurate shooting from Leila Palmer (19 goals) and Charlotte Gould (34 goals, including 11 in the final term) and precise passing into the goals from Rachel Whipp and Charlee Roulston allowed the team to dominate the match the further it progressed.
Jaime Dingwall’s defensive work, initially with Grace Ingram and later with Zali Hocking, dominated for most of the match as the match was marred by several falls on the slippery courts.
Hocking and Dingwall restricted the Benalla goalers to just four goals in the final term.
This weekend’s match against Euroa will be a key to the team’s chances of securing a spot in the finals, with the pair because of a face-off again later in the season.
— Cold and slippery conditions, along with a determined opponent, faced the now fifth-ranked Rochester B-Reserve team on Saturday.
After trailing by three at quarter-time the Tigerettes reduced the margin to one by half-time and then took a one-goal lead into the final term.
Zali Hocking and Krystal Conder, who started at wing attack before moving to centre, fed Hannah Egglestone opportunities in the first term and she shot all 10 of the team’s goals.
Hocking then stood up in the final three terms with 18 goals as her team battle gamely to a thrilling 39-38 win. Egglestone finished the game with 21 goals.
Rochester’s four wins and one draw has it equal with Kyabram and six points clear of the teams outside the top six.
The Tigerettes face Euroa (seventh) and United (ninth) in the next two weeks before third-ranked Shepparton Swans in a serious test.
They used nine players on Saturday, Kristie Weekley coming onto wing defence at half-time, while Ella McPhee spent three quarters at wing attack and Grace Wachter moved in the goal keeping role late after starting at wing defence.
— Rochester was forced to slow its usually slick ball movement in the slippery conditions, the early defensive work of Grace Moyle allowing her team a two-goal lead.
In its best quarter of the game Monica Ingram moved into the centre role for the second term and Kaitlyn Joyce shot seven goals for the quarter (after a two-goal opening term) — giving Rochester a seven-goal lead.
Justice Powles’ brilliant intercept work for three quarters of the match allowed Rochester to set up a 11-goal three-quarter time lead and despite being outscored in the final term they won the match 33-36.
Georgia Norman moved into centre for the second half, her fresh legs combining with Maddy Pearce at goal defence to limit Benalla’s opportunities.
More changes in the final term, when Grace Moyle moved to goals (shooting six of the team’s 11 goals) and Charlize Weeks capped off three great quarters at wing attack.
The Tigerettes sit eighth on the ladder, but are just one game outside the top six. They have Euroa (11th) this weekend and Shepparton United (seventh) a week late before tough games against top four teams Shepparton Swans, Kyabram and Shepparton in successive weeks.
— There was no Under-15 game and the Tigerettes sit in eighth position, two wins outside the top six and with ninth-ranked Euroa this weekend.
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