WANL | Sharks hungry for win over Roar

By Karis Ryan, original article WA Netball

The second top of the table clash in as many weeks didn’t disappoint, as the Western Roar took on the East Freo Sharks in Round 5 of the Gold Industry Group WANL at the State Netball Centre on Friday night.

The Roar retain their position on top of the ladder, while despite an impressive win, the Sharks dropped one spot to third on the ladder, thanks to the Warriors’ massive win over the Demons.

The Sharks started strongly, thanks to the attacking pressure of Centre Courtney Kruta and Wing Attack Ella Sigley, which saw the ball consistently reach shooter Grace Parker, who was as reliable as ever under the post, helping the Sharks to edge three goals ahead.

The Roar hit back, showing why they were undefeated, with intercepts from Zoe Spencer and a handy turnover from Tess Cransberg, leading to goals from Larissa Harrison, as the Roar closed the gap.

Parker’s height continued to cause trouble for Annabel Saggers, who was unable to stop the shooter in the first term, however the Roar managed to level the scores at quarter time, thanks to hard work across the midcourt from Lindal Rohde and Bella McLernon.

The Sharks’ defensive pressure lifted in the second with Zoe Fisher and Jess Penny turning over ball, and with Parker converting strongly at the other end, the Sharks skipped out to a seven goal lead.

Uncharacteristic wayward passes from the Roar halted their momentum, and with Fisher and Penny double teaming Harrison in the circle, Maddison Schultz was forced to bear the shooting load.

Inaccuracy continued to cost the Roar, with Schultz converting just one of four attempts in the second term.

Harrison continued to be a strong presence under the post for the Roar, pulling the margin back to three goals at the major break.

Roar Head Coach Andrea McCulloch made a number of positional changes in the third term, while Kate Duncan was injected at Wing Attack for the Sharks.

Duncan’s combination with Ella Eastaugh and Emma Cosh brought a new level of speed to the game, and ultimately saw the Sharks lead by five goals at three quarter time.

The final quarter saw a number of turnovers from the Roar, and poor shooting proved costly, as they were able to convert just nine goals at 70% accuracy.

At the other end, the Sharks were proving themselves, converting 18 goals from 19 attempts, to run out 14 goal winners and hand the Roar their first loss of the season.

Mel Rainey, who took the reigns of the team in place of Head Coach Sue Gerrard, was happy with her side’s performance.

“I think our defensive pressure was the difference in the end of the game,” Rainey said.

“It has been good having our ANL girls back, and we have been able to change up our combinations.”

“We will keep our full court defensive pressure as our main focus.”

The Sharks now take on the improving Curtin Hamerlsey Comets, while the Roar will look to get back on the winners list against the Jets.

Shooting Statistics
Western Roar
Larissa Harrison 40/46 (87%)
Tess Cransberg 7/11 (64%)
Maddison Schultz 5/10 (50%)

East Freo Sharks
Grace Parker 55/58 (95%)
Emma Cosh 11/13 (85%)