Jo Connolly
GAWLER Central started hot and was able to finish the job in this past week’s Gawler & District Netball Association A1 fixtures, beating Mallala by 10 goals after a week off due to hot weather.
Also in A1 action, Central District went into the first quarter break with a six-goal advantage over Willaston, however, Willaston settled to turn the ball over and keep Central District goalless in the second quarter.
Both teams went goal-for-goal in the third, but Willaston pulled away in the fourth to take the match by nine goals.
Williamstown continued its winning ways, despite South Gawler starting the game with the upper hand and leading by three goals at half time.
It was a game of two halves, though, as Williamstown turned the game quickly in the third to run out eventual winners by 10.
In A2 competition, Sandy Creek and Central District progressed to finals fresh due to forfeits.
The other teams battling it out for finals spots saw South Gawler and Dragons play a neck-and-neck game, with the mid-court for both teams working overtime to keep possession.
At the third break, both teams were locked at 22-apiece, but Dragons’ height in attack came to the fore in the last quarter, converting well to finish winners by six goals.
Both Willaston and Gawler Central started at a fast pace, with the lead swinging between both teams early.
Gawler Central made a clever line-up change in the third period, which proved effective in taking a five-goal lead into the final quarter.
But Willaston dug deep, and put enough pressure on Gawler Central to force a 30-30 tie.
In B1, wins from South Gawler Blue and Hamley Bridge over Gumnuts and Willaston respectively were predicted, giving both these teams continued confidence for finals.
Xavier Saints also had a big win over South Gawler White to finish the season, whilst Williamstown had a narrow win over Virginia by three, stealing Virginia’s finals spot in the process.
In B2, Freeling looked sharp from the start in its match against Lutheran, leading at all breaks and successfully fending off a late charge to win by three.
Top team Gawler Central capped off a strong regular season against Virginia, comfortably winning by 16.
In B3, Sandy Creek jumped out of the blocks against Freeling, winning a back-and-forth affair by three goals, while Central District and South Gawler also contested a tight battle.
The experience of Central District goalies and excellent ball placement saw it take the lead in the third break and pull away to win by 10.
In C-grade, premiership favourites Gawler Central defeated Xavier Saints, but were made to earn it against a chippy Saints side.
Xavier held its own for the majority of the match thanks to a strong mid-court effort, but Gawler Central settled in the fourth to win at the final siren.
Sandy Creek locked in the fourth and final postseason spot, beating Barossa District by 10.
In under-17s, Nuriootpa had an excellent win over Gawler Central, confirming its standing as premiership favourites.
Kapunda and Gumnuts went goal-for-goal in the first quarter, until Kapunda settled into its regular game and pulled away for a convincing win.
South Gawler also secured a win to give it confidence going into finals, while Gawler Central edged Gumnuts from the top-four on percentage.
Under-15 division one ladder-leaders South Gawler won its top-of-the-table clash against Gumnuts after jumping out to a 12-5 first quarter lead, while Sandy Creek had a confidence-boosting win against Central District, taking the match by 17.
In under-15 division two, third-placed Barossa District upset top-ranked Gawler Central by three goals to shake things up heading into finals.
Xavier Saints and Virginia had a low scoring first quarter with lots of turnovers, but both teams were not able to convert, leaving the door open for the Saints to pull away once its offence got clicking for a comfortable win.
In under-13s, Freeling and Central District had great wins over Willaston and Gumnuts respectively, and will join Kapunda in the division one finals.
Sandy Creek won a close game against Barossa District in division two, taking the match by four goals, which was unfortunately not enough to jump into the top-four.
Xavier continued its winning ways over South Gawler, and Kapunda had a convincing win over Gumnuts.
In under-11s, the division one game between Virginia and Xavier Saints had the crowd on their feet, with both teams playing extremely well as Virginia eked out a three-goal win.
In division two, Gumnuts and Xavier Saints Yellow had expected wins for the final minor round to carry momentum into finals.
Approximately 80 players from ‘modified’ teams finished their campaigns this past week, with GDNA life member Maxine Forby presenting medals to each of the excited kids.