General News
8 May, 2019
Power topples reigning premiers
KOLORA Noorat will enter the bye undefeated and full of confidence after defeating reigning premier Nirranda last Saturday.
KOLORA Noorat will enter the bye undefeated and full of confidence after defeating reigning premier Nirranda last Saturday.
The Power held off the Blues in a thriller at Noorat Recreation Reserve, repelling several opposition forward entries in the last minutes to win 8.10 (58) to 8.8 (56).
Premiership player Nick Bourke was best on ground for the victors, while Nick Marshall, Brodie Edge, Ben O’Sullivan and Paul McSween all played strong games.
Ben Fraser (three goals) also performed well up forward, while Bailey Kemp and Ben Reid each kicked two goals apiece.
The entire match was a see-sawing affair, with neither side able to seize total control of the contest throughout its duration.
Both sides kicked two goals apiece in the opening term, with the visitors taking a two point lead into the first change after missing several other opportunities.
The second quarter was a similar affair, with the Power and Blues kicking three goals apiece, but this time it was the home side that was unable to capitalise.
They kicked four behinds to the Blues’ one to enter the half-time break with a one point lead.
The third term again followed similar lines to that of the first two, with both sides kicking the same amount of goals, with behinds kicked by Nirranda pushing them ahead by the narrowest of margins at the last break.
The Blues then kicked the first goal of the final term to extend their lead before the Power immediately replied through Ben Fraser.
The next 10 minutes was a bit of a stalemate, before coach Ben Walsh kicked truly to put Kolora Noorat 10 points ahead.
Shortly after, Nirranda responded with a goal of their own to cut the deficit back to four, with both sides enduring some tense moments in the final minutes.
The Blues pressed hard and were able to kick two behinds but they could not get the desired goal they needed before the siren sounded with the Power holding on to win a two point thriller.
The win leaves Kolora Noorat as the only undefeated side in the competition, with the Power to have a week’s break before returning against Merrivale at Merrivale on May 18.
In other football games, the reserves recorded a 19 point win, the under 18s were 79 point victors and the under 15s prevailed by 172 points.
Kolora Noorat’s A grade netball side was outclassed by reigning premier Nirranda.
The Power was consistent in their ability to score across the four quarters but leaked too many goals in their defensive end as the Blues triumphed 46-25.
Defender Holly Richardson continued her impressive start to the year with another best on court performance, while Jocelyn McDonald (13 goals) and Stacey Madden also played well.
The Blues got a six goal jump on the Power in the opening term and had doubled their lead by half-time after outscoring the home side 26-14 in the first half.
They then pushed on where they left off when play resumed, adding 20 goals to nine in the final two terms to win by 21.
The loss was Kolora Noorat’s third consecutive and has them languishing near the bottom of the table, with the Power next to face second placed Merrivale after the bye.
In the lower grades, A reserve was overrun in the final quarter after leading throughout its contest, going down 25-24.
Tania Barbary, Lexi Moloney and Kaylee Malady were named the Power’s best players.
B grade went down 31-16 with a dominant opening quarter setting up the Blues’ victory.
Meg Kenna was best on court for Kolora Noorat alongside Claire O’Connor and Amy Conheady.
The 17 and under side also suffered a narrow loss, going down 32-30 after trailing by the same margin at three quarter time.
Abbey Carlin and Sophie Pearson were among the Power’s best.
The 15 and under side recorded a dominant win, defeating the Blues 48-7.
Lily Baker (23 goals) was one of Kolora Noorat’s better players.
And the 13 and under team also recorded a big victory, downing Nirranda 43-4.