Sport
5 June, 2024
Bombers soar over the Eagles
A FAST start saw Cobden’s Open netballers enjoyed a tight win over North Warrnambool over the weekend.
The Bombers 61-57 win over the Eagles on the weekend was testament to the resilience of the squad in a tight contest.
The girls broke open a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and were able to match the energy as the Eagles went on the hunt to try and snatch back the lead.
The Bombers carried a four-point lead in to the second half, and remained in lock-step as the side found an answer for everything North Warrnambool threw at them.
“We knew it would be a great game for us and we were really looking forward to seeing how we matched up against them,” coach Sophie Hinkley said.
“Being another top side, it was important for us to challenge ourselves and see where we’re sitting at this point in the season.”
Molly Hutt led the goal scoring for the Bombers with 22 while Jaymie Finch added 20 and Emily Finch tallied 19.
Best players on the day were Jaymie Finch, Alicia Blain and Lara Taylor.
“Jaymie Finch was great, she played goal attack and wing attack, and she’s been really dominant this year with a couple of great games,” Hinkley said.
“Bringing in some versatility with her win attack has been big.
“Molly Hutt was great, really clever and uses her body well, and she adds another dimension in to our goal circle with Emily and Jaymie (Finch).
“Our midcourt of Alicia Blain and Lara Taylor have been probably the most consistent and impressive across the start of the season, and they again performed really well on the weekend.”
The win over the weekend has the Bombers sitting comfortably in second place on the ladder, with the strong first half of the season being something the club had set as a goal at the beginning of the season, according to Hinkley.
“We have done a great job despite having a lot of unavailability and lots of new players in to the team this year,” she said.
“For this first half of the year it was about getting as many points on the board as we could to put us in a great position for the second half of the season.
“They girls have done that, which is great.”
Cobden will this weekend look to hold firm as the Bloods come to town hoping to improve on their 4-4 record.
“We’re just trying to consolidate the things we’ve been working on and trying to gel our attacking together,” Hinkley said.
“We’re bringing through some new defenders and defensive combinations, so as across most weeks we’re working on doing some basic things right.
“We want to measure our success on what we do well rather than what the scoreboard looks like.”
