Nova coach Laura Glendenning praised the defensive nous of Ellie McVey as they downed Waratah in a game that proved a little too close for comfort while Souths continued their unbeaten start to Newcastle championship netball with an arm wrestle of their own at National Park on Saturday.
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Souths, up against four-time defending champions West Leagues Balance in round four, trailed 10-7 at the first break then 19-15 at half-time before a strong third quarter had the sides locked at 28-28 heading into the final period.
Lions prevailed 38-34 but coach Tracey van Dal conceded the game could have gone either way.
"West came out of the blocks a little bit better than what we did and it took us probably the first five minutes to work into the game," van Dal said.
"At one point we were five or six goals down and just continued to chip away. It was a full team effort.
"I think it was our third quarter where we got our noses in front and we were lucky to hold on to that."
Van Dal injected tall shooter Erin Asquith into the match at half-time, Danielle Taylor moved out of the goal circle to wing attack and Leah Dove came on at wing defence.
"That changed the dynamics of the game a little bit but we also collectively as a team stepped up our defensive pressure in that third quarter," van Dal said.
The win elevated Souths to 13 points atop the competition standings with University of Newcastle, who were 62-24 winners over Kotara South, and Nova two points behind on 11.
Thunder led at every break to beat Waratah 52-43 but did not pull away with the game until the final quarter.
"They were physical and hungry for the ball and they were consistent in their shooting and defensively," Glendenning said of the competition newcomers.
"They just wanted it a bit more than us. It wasn't our best day and it's another learning curve for us. But when push came to shove we were able to pull ourselves together and got a couple of quick turnovers in the last quarter which secured us the win.
"But we're determined to be better than that. We've got to be a bit more consistent."
Nova were missing circle defender Tianna Cummings through unavailability and Ellie McVey was shifted from centre to goal defence.
"Ellie was one of the changing points for us, having that extra hunger in the defensive circle, getting some great rebounds," Glendenning said.
"She was a key factor there, but we've got to be better looking forward to Uni next week."
BNC Whanau beat Junction Stella 43-40 in the other match, which was also tight throughout.
Round 4 results:
Souths defeated West Leagues Balance 38-34. Q1: West led 10-7; Q2: West led 19-15; Q3: 28-28.
Nova Thunder beat Waratah 52-43. Q1: Nova led 11-6; Q2: Nova led 22-19; Q3: Nova led 36-32.
University of Newcastle defeated Kotara South 62-24. Q1: University led 18-4; Q2: University led 32-8; Q3: University led 46-17.
BNC Whanau beat Junction Stella 43-40. Q1: BNC led 12-8; Q2: BNC led 22-21; Q3: BNC led 33-30.
Points: Souths 13, University 11, Nova 11, West 9, Kotara South 9, Junction 7, BNC 7, Waratah 5.
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Renee Valentine
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
