With the Under 19s eliminated, the Monbulk supporters headed over to Woori Yallock to cheer on the B Grade Netball team who were playing in the 2nd Semi-Final. Monbulk were playing Narre Warren, with the winner gaining direct access into the Grand Final. The Magpies have been the benchmark side in B Grade, as they had been in all grades, and they had only lost one match in the regular season, being to Monbulk in Round 11.
This was a match that ebbed and flowed. At first, Narre Warren took control and was out by as many as 7 goals early on before the Hawks found their rhythm. In the second quarter, Monbulk dominated possession and pressured Narre into numerous turnovers, resulting in a 13-goal to five stanza which left the Hawks with a two-goal lead by the halftime break.
Good sides are hard to keep down all day and the Magpies produced a strong third term which yielded nine goals to four. Some great defensive play by Georgia, Fleur and Bonnie created turnovers that weren’t capitalised on as chains of passes were broken up further down the court. The three-goal margin at three quarter-time was to also be the final margin as both sides added 10 goals in the last period of play.
The Hawks had shown that they could again compete with the yardsticks of the competition and, having earned the double chance, will now play ROC next Sunday in the Preliminary Final to try and earn another shot at Narre Warren in the Grand Final.
Narre Warren 39 def Monbulk 36
Best: Georgia Himmelreich, Iris de Wit, Olivia Crook
Goals: Iris de Wit 29, Olivia Crook 7
