The Original Hot Shots were crowned Mixed Netball’s A Grade champions on Tuesday night while Opposition finished as the winners of the B Grade grand final.
Original Hot Shots and Peachers went neck and neck for most of their A Grade game and it wasn’t until the final three minutes that Original Hot Shots pulled away to claim a 24-20 win.
In B Grade, the competition’s biggest improvers, Opposition, finished as 27-12 winners over Council Bashers.
A range of very interesting and mostly unique netball skills were on show for both games.
Observing from the sideline it was evident that many of the male players have yet to grasp the concept of a number of the game’s rules (such as contact, being three feet from
your opposition while defending and how to pivot).
They did however make up for that with enthusiasm, a considerable height advantage and some superior athletic abilities.
It was the male players who stood out in both games and ultimately steered their sides to win.
A Grade’s Player of the Grand Final was Original Hot Shots’ Goal Defender Tom McBride while best on court in B Grade was Opposition’s Josh Brown.
The A Grade game was a great game between two evenly matched sides.
The Original Hot Shots were, for most of the match, a well-drilled team that could quickly convert each centre pass into points.
The Peachers took longer to get the ball to the basket, however they still managed to match it on court with the Original Hot Shots throughout the game.
The Original Hot Shots’ attacking combination of Nikki Gilbert (GS), Quinton Place (GA) and Brianna Watson (WA) worked very well with Watson’s long range passes into Gilbert resulting in many of their points.
Peachers’ Zach Finn provided plenty of height in the centre court while his opposite player David Watson had to call upon many of his aerial defence skills learnt in AFL to pull off a number of intercept passes.
The second quarter got very physical as both sides tried to take control and that intensity continued into the game’s third period.
With the scores locked at 17-all at the end of the third quarter, it looked like the match was headed for extra time.
Original Hot Shots pulled ahead in the final three minutes as Gilbert kept her cool, Place picked up his pace and McBride intercepted nearly every ball that got near his opposition’s goal ring to help their side to a 24-20 win.
