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WANL 2022: West Coast Warriors still undefeated after grand final rematch in Karratha

Headshot of Carly Laden
Carly LadenThe West Australian
West Coast Warriors' Kellie Baker in action.
Camera IconWest Coast Warriors' Kellie Baker in action. Credit: Carly Laden/The West Australian

From a grand final rematch in Karratha to cameo appearances from coaches, there was plenty of action during the fourth round of the 2022 WANL season.

The round saw the Curtin Hamersley Comets take on Peel Lightning, the Southside Demons go up against the Rangers, and the East Freo Sharks hosted the Souwest Jets on Friday night at the Gold Netball Centre, while the West Coast Warriors and Western Roar went head to head at the Karratha Leisureplex on Saturday.

The Curtin Hamersley Comets kicked off the round with a 48-40 victory over Peel Lightning, earning their third win of the season.

Although the Comets were quick to obtain the early advantage, the Lightning held their own throughout the opening term by putting the pressure on and keeping the margin down to less than three goals.

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The evenly matched contest continued into the second quarter with the Lightning taking the lead six minutes in with shots by Abbey Hicks, only for the Comets to quickly fight back with strong defence from Liz Dronfield and Ella Taylor, backed up by Aitaua Enari’s accurate shooting to take the lead late 21-20 at half time.

The third term saw the Comets start to take control with good intercepts from the defensive end, quick driving by Lindal Rohde and more shots on goal by Sarah East.

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Although the Lightning tried to fight back in the last quarter, the Comets proved too strong and walked away with the victory.

Meanwhile, a cameo appearance from Souwest Jets head coach Karly Guadagnin was not enough to help a COVID-affected Souwest Jets get over the line against the East Freo Sharks.

It was an even start to the match with both teams putting the pressure on each other from the outset, headlined by good old-fashioned sibling rivalry between Jets starting centre Brooke Repacholi and Sharks wing attack Jess Repacholi, with the Jets managing to take the early lead.

A fast start saw the Sharks take the lead early on with goals from Rose Aryang and Larissa Harrison, although the Jets would stay in the contest with good defence by Riley Culnane and accurate shots on goal by Giselle Taylor and Sophie Eastaugh.

At half time, the Sharks led 31-26 following a dominant quarter.

Despite a relatively even contest throughout the mid-court early in the third quarter, the Sharks continued to extend their lead with a winning combination in Jess Repacholi feeding to Harrison.

Although the Jets fought hard with strong ball movement, the Sharks held on to maintain their lead 41-36 at three quarter time.

The Sharks had another dominant start to the final quarter, although the Jets would continue to fight hard.

However, the Sharks held strong to win 65-55, with Harrison scoring 48 goals for the Sharks while Taylor managed 42 goals for the Jets.

Elsewhere, the Southside Demons have kept up their undefeated streak after edging out the Rangers 58-53.

Although the Rangers managed to take the lead by the first break after an evenly matched opening term, the Demons fought back during the second term to lead 28-26 at half time.

While the intense match-up saw both teams score 13 goals apiece during the third quarter, the Demons held strong during the final quarter to earn themselves the win.

Rangers skipper Georgia Pitt managed a game-high 36 goals in her 100th WANL match, while the Demons’ Meg Gallager racked up 32 goals.

The West Coast Warriors' Hana Stokes.
Camera IconThe West Coast Warriors' Hana Stokes. Credit: Carly Laden/The West Australian

Meanwhile, the West Coast Warriors have kept up their undefeated streak and simultaneously broke the Western Roar’s following a grand final rematch in Karratha.

The contest was incredibly even during the first half with the Warriors holding a slight advantage at quarter time.

While the Roar managed to take the lead during the second quarter, the Warriors fought back to bring the scores level at 24 apiece at half time.

However, it was during the second half that the Warriors took control of the match, pulling away during the third quarter to lead by 10 goals at the final change.

Despite the Roar attempting to make a comeback during the final term, the Warriors held strong to take the win 56-35.

In the 20/U competition, the Western Roar dominated the West Coast Warriors 64-24, the Rangers defeated the Southside Demons 49-35, the East Freo Sharks held off the Souwest Jets 54-41, and Peel Lightning edged out the Curtin Hamersley Comets 46-44.

In the Men’s competition, the Western Roar smashed the West Coast Warriors 65-21, while the Curtin Hamersley Comets held off the Southside Demons 43-36.

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