BFNL
DEFENCE: North Ballarat's Gina Mccartin pressures East Point's Sarah Bourke in her sides eight-goal win on Saturday. Picture: Lachlan Bence
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North Ballarat have emerged victorious over East Point in a grand final rematch in the Ballarat Football Netball League.
The Roosters produced a spirited second half effort to clinch the match 46-38 at Eastern Oval on Saturday.
After trailing by two goals at half-time, North Ballarat head coach Annie McCartin said it took a full team effort to get the job done.
"I always say it's up to them to execute what we work on in training, and I felt in the third quarter they started to dictate how they wanted the game to be played," she said.
East Point had the edge early in the contest after some crisp centre court play saw them take a two-goal lead into quarter time. The absence of senior players Poppy Douglass, Laura McDonald and Brianna Gregory added the the woes for North Ballarat, which failed to make headway in the second term.
But McCartin shook things up following the break, moving Emma Church to goal keeper and Zoe Nevette to wing attack. The adjustments paid dividends for the visitors who gained the advantage defensively in the second half.
Seizing the momentum, North Ballarat got up by as many as seven goals in the third, before taking a six-goal lead into the final term. East Point mounted a comeback in the final quarter, but the damage had been done to the Roos which lost the match by eight goals.
"Once we kept surging, everything just started to work and when we got the seven goal buffer I felt the tide had turned and the girls had settled into a good consistent game of netball," said McCartin.
"Everyone led in their areas, the goal shooters did their bit, as did the centre court players and defenders."
The win springboards North Ballarat to second place on the BFNL table, past East Point which are suddenly free falling having lost two of its past three matches.
North Ballarat however are rolling, having won its past seven. With only two rounds left before post-season action, the Roosters look every bit the team that was crowned premiers in 2018.
"We are feeling good, those are the sort of games you've got to come out on top in," McCartin said.
"Heading into the pointy end, you want to be confident that whatever you're doing is working."
Meanwhile Lake Wendouree has continued its late-season charge up the ladder with an impressive 22-goal road win over Melton.
Bacchus March defeated Sebastopol by five goals at Maddingley Park.
Ballarat bounced-back from a disappointing loss to beat Redan, while Sunbury thumped Darley by 45 goals at Clarke Oval.
The win marked the sixth in a row for Sunbury which sit in first place on the BFNL ladder.
RESULTS:
Bacchus Marsh 48 d Sebastopol 43
North Ballarat City 46 d East Point 38
Lake Wendouree 57 d Melton 35
Ballarat 47 d Redan 30
Sunbury 68 d Darkey 23
CHNL
The race for the last remaining spot in the 2019 Central Highlands Netball League A grade finals is set to come down to the very last round of the season following a weekend of exciting results.
Sitting in eighth and ninth on the ladder respectively, Bungaree and Dunnstown will both be battling for the chance to make its mark in finals. Newlyn also theoretically could make the finals, however it would need to secure a near 100-point win over the Demons at the weekend and a loss from Dunnstown to progress.
The Towners kept its season alive with a dominant 65-16 win over Daylesford while the Demons just couldn't keep up with the powerful Tigers on the road.
Sitting one win behind Bunagree on the ladder, the Towners will need to win against Carngham-Linton and hope for the Cats to beat Bungaree to secure its spot in the post season.
Elsewhere each of the leagues top-four teams, Learmonth, Hepburn, Springbank and Buninyong registered comfortable victories.
Ballan and Rokewood-Corindhap swapped ladder positions following the Hoppers win over the Blues at home. The loss was Ballan's second in a row after falling to Hepburn last week.
Newlyn secured an easy win at home over Skipton to keep the slightest glimmer of hope alive for a post-season appearance.
RESULTS:
Learmonth 81 d Beaufort 17
Buninyong 56 d Waubra 20
Dunnstown 65 d Daylesford 16
Hepburn 76 d Clunes 19
Newlyn 56 d Skipton 39
Rokewood-Corindhap 58 d Ballan 40
Springbank 44 d Bungaree 22
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