CITY West Falcons have regained power in the Victorian Netball League championship division.
The Marg Lind-coached super team made it three titles in the four years since the competition’s inauguration in 2009.
The Falcons were breathing a sigh of relief after edging out never-give-in neighbours VU-Western Lightning 42-37 in the first all-western suburbs grand final at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Saturday night.
In a storyline reminiscent of their ’09 triumph over Boroondara Genesis, the Falcons went into the fourth quarter with scores deadlocked, then swooped on the spoils.
Click on the link below for our gallery of the huge clash.
Lind told the Weekly that her coaching staff picked the brains of the seasoned players at the end-of-third-period huddle, giving them a say in the shape and direction of the team heading into a crucial final 15 minutes.
‘‘We’ve got a bit of experience and we tapped into it. Interacting with players and empowering them to give us an idea into how they feel out there was important.’’
The general consensus was the Falcons were too conscious of Kathleen Knott in the first three quarters.
The tall, athletic and hard-working goalshooter was a near-unstoppable force with a bucketful of goals in the first half.
But there was a feeling the attacking structure had become predictable.
The Falcons had a decision to make about out-of-sorts goal attack Maggie Lind, who had little impact in the first 45 minutes and that was one of the main reasons they attacked through Knott.
They either had to persist with the young rising star and hope she would recapture the form that made her tandem with Knott one of the most feared throughout the season, or give someone else a go.
The decision to keep Lind in the game had a massive bearing on the result, the youngster producing a stunning last quarter.
‘‘I thought [Lightning goal defence] Brooke Thompson really did her over in the first three quarters,’’ Marg Lind said, ‘‘and I was borderline thinking, should I take her off?
‘‘They’d been trying to isolate Kath and focus on her too much and getting Maggie on the shot opened up the game. I think she shot five-from five straight up and took some pressure off Kath.’’
The Falcons started the game like they ended it, taking a 13-9 lead into the first break. Knott, who had never won a top-tier VNL premiership, seemed intent on adding one to her CV.
The goalshooter missed the first goal of the game before her long arm span, tireless workrate and sharpshooting began to get on the nerves of Lightning goalkeeper Fiona Themann.
The longer the game went on, however, the weaker the Falcons’ authority over the scoreboard became.
Their lead was cut to just two at half-time and parity was restored after three.
Suddenly, it was Lightning’s attacking combination of Melissa McCauley and Megan Fitzpatrick that appeared the most threatening.
But, the game undoubtedly hinged on the Thompson-Lind duel.
Thompson — a director of traffic with ball in hand and a tower of strength in defence — was pivotal in getting the Lightning back on level terms in quarters two and three.
But Lind’s sudden burst of irresistible netball in the fourth proved the turning point in the game, said Lightning coach Matt Hills.
‘‘I give credit to Maggie Lind, who played goal attack and was beaten for three quarters by Brooke Thompson, but her last quarter was key to their performance.’’ The Lightning enjoyed a fairytale year — if not the storybook ending.
They came from second-last with 3 wins a year ago to face off in the big one with a club in the midst of a dynasty.
‘‘We’re two years into a five-year plan,’’ Hills said. ‘‘This grand final was heartbreaking to lose but in the bigger picture it was a bonus.’’
Lind said a new training regime, an injection of youth and the arrival of prolific goalshooter Knott were factors in the Falcons’ return to the top after a season of rebuilding.
‘‘This is a good one because it shows that we’ve made the transition with the younger players.
‘‘We’ve been able to throw them in, in the heat, and in the end they’ve come through.’’
Falcons co-captain Christie Barnes was the grand final MVP for the second time in three seasons.
The big-game player was busy in the mid-court, setting up a number of attacking forays.
It was a massive achievement for the centre/wing attack just to be on the court after she spent last winter on crutches following a knee reconstruction.
‘‘I was completely out last year,’’ she said. ‘‘It killed me sitting on the sidelines. I was just so rapt to be back out there.
‘‘It took me a while to get going but our whole team just built and tonight was a fairytale.’’
Falcons captain Brooke Thompson lamented her team’s slow start to the game and said it had been an issue all season long.
The goal defence, easily best for her side, said the Lightning would go on in leaps and bounds in the coming years.
‘‘I couldn’t be prouder to be part of VU,’’ she said. ‘‘Look into the future and where we’re going. This finals series is the first of many to come.’’
– with Teo Pellizzeri
GRAND FINAL SCORES
City West Falcons 42 d VU-Western Lightning 37
The champions: Marg Lind, Nicole Richardson, Jason Woolley (coaching panel), Christie Barnes, Kathleen Knott (co-captains), Peta Fay, Maggie Lind, Kate Moloney, Clare Moylan, Casey Price, Darcy Saunders, Dani Stewart, Demi Woodlock.
Division 1: Monash University Central 40 d Boroondara Genesis 39
The champions: Jacqui Hansen (coach), Bec Blias (assistant coach), Jess D’Antonia (captain), Sophie Knights, Shai Skinner, Gussie O’Sullivan, Stephanie Tyrell, Shae Gee, Claire Andrews, Tayla Shannon, Clare Pettyfor, Ebony Fietz, Kate Slattery, Tara Cecil.
19 and under: City West Falcons 52 d Boroondara Genesis 41
The champions: Marg Lind, Nicole Richardson, Ashley Chapman (coaching panel), Vanessa Augustini (captain), Georgia Berry, Libby Birch, Jacqueline Dupuy, Molly Jovic, Georgette Paatsch, Emily Post,
Morgan Mitchell, Bess Schnioffsky, Andrea Tai, Alice Teague-Neeld.
