Smash Ups produced a dominant display to claim the Cobar Netball Association Senior Ladies premiership on Friday night, defeating minor premiers Divas 55-38 in a high-quality grand final at Ward Oval.
Despite being without a couple of key players, Divas had the luxury of a substitute on the bench while Smash Ups’ lineup was unchanged for the entire match.
Smash Ups shooter Nikki Gilbert was in sensational form, sinking 15 of her team’s 18 goals in the opening quarter as Smash Ups raced to an 18-8 lead at the first break.
Gilbert continued to dominate under the ring and finished the match with a big tally of 38 goals, while Goal Attack Emma Harley provided excellent support with 21 goals.
The second quarter threatened to follow the same pattern when Gilbert landed two quick goals, but Divas shooter Lauren Urquhart then stepped up to sink the next five successive goals and drag her side back into contention.
Smash Ups regained control before half time to hold an 11-point advantage at the main break.
Divas again came out strongly in the third quarter, scoring six of the first seven goals and at one stage the margin was just three points.
However, the comeback was short-lived.
Divas defenders Marybeth Lowe and Rhylee Patterson worked hard to restrict Gilbert’s shooting opportunities, but Harley stepped up to fill the void, scoring seven goals for the quarter while Gilbert added five.
Smash Ups outscored Divas 12-10 in the third term to take a 13-point lead into the final quarter. They started the final quarter in a big hurry, scoring the first three goals, with Harley confidently converting shots from both under the post and long range.
Centre Brianna Watson was another standout for Smash Ups, with her intercepts and long-range passing into the goal circle a feature throughout the match.
While she took plenty of risks with her long passes, most paid off, often finding Gilbert in a strong position under the ring.
Gilbert also did an excellent job of holding her position and converting most of the passing opportunities her teammates lobbed into the circle.
Goal Defence Taylah Good and Goal Keeper Neve Carter worked tirelessly in defence, applying pressure to Divas shooters Urquhart and Briana Coffey and helping disrupt their normally reliable finishing.
Mollie McAndrew also played an important role at Wing Attack for Smash Ups, regularly feeding the ball into Harley, while at the other end of the court Brennah Aumua worked tirelessly in Wing Defence and produced a number of valuable intercepts and turnovers.
A strong finish by Smash Ups ensured there would be no late comeback from Divas as they ran out 17-goal winners
