The Standard | NIRRANDA coach Anna Murnane lauded the fight of her new-look side after it prevailed in a one-goal thriller against Timboon Demons.
The Blues held firm in the dying stages at Nirranda Recreation Reserve to win 51-50 and improve their record to 2-3.
They led by about four goals late in the final term, but had to withstand a fightback as the Demons slashed the margin to one.
The siren sounded seconds later, sparking celebrations in the hosts’ camp. The match will likely go down as one of the best of the season.
“They kept fighting, never gave up,” Murnane said of her players.
“It was a really good game. It’s a credit to both teams you could say. It was high-quality netball. Everyone was saying that after the game.”
Epitomising the performance, Murnane wrote “team effort” on the scoresheet where she would usually list her best players. “There’s no way you could split them. I’d hate to be the umpires picking votes. The whole 14, they all played well,” she said.
Timboon Demons shaded the first term 13-12, while the middle two terms finished 12-all, setting up the dramatic finale.
The crucial break came in the opening minutes of the last term. The Blues shot to a narrow lead, which proved just enough.
The Nirranda-Timboon Demons clash was one of three thrillers in Warrnambool and District league netball.
Elsewhere, Kolora-Noorat survived a late scare against Allansford to win 30-28 at Allansford Recreation Reserve.
The Power conceded the first three goals of the match before shooting to an 11-6 lead at quarter-time.
It extended that by a goal during the middle two terms. But the Cats charged home with a 10-6 final term to fall two goals short.
The other close match was at Walter Oval, where South Rovers conjured a 10-7 final term to outlast Russells Creek 37-33.
Merrivale comfortably accounted for Deakin University 51-33 and Panmure moved to sixth with a 65-21 win against East Warrnambool at Reid Oval.
