Border Mail | Wodonga’s Maggie Young shot the lights out in the last quarter against Albury Tigers on Saturday to steal the game for her side by four goals in a comeback.
It was Young’s second game back from an ankle injury which has had her on the sideline recuperating since round one.
We've played some really good netball and had other patches where we've lacked consistency.
Both the Bulldogs and Tigers have had their struggles with injuries and combinations this year.
Wodonga’s preparation for the weekend match was further mired by the loss of defender Sarah Cardwell to an ankle injury at training on Thursday night.
Come game day it was a Tigers outfit desperate for their second win which took control early.
The Bulldogs struggled to stop Lauren Coelli from scoring as the goal shooter scored 12 from 15 in the first quarter.
Coelli’s effort gave her team a crucial early lead as the shooting percentages of both teams fell as the match wore on.
The Tigers were still up by two goals coming into the last period as the Bulldogs defence started to improve and shooters Young and Kylie Murphy got into a groove.
The Bulldogs snatched the lead halfway through the last and never let go on their way to an unlikely win.
Wodonga coach Kelli Moylan said the match definately wasn’t their best performance this year.
“To our girls credit we fought it out and they showed a lot courage and determination in that last quarter to get on top,” she said.
“We've had a lot of injuries and lost a lot of players from last season so we’ve had to bring B-graders up who are doing a fantastic job.
“We've played some really good netball and had other patches where we've lacked consistency.”
Wodonga has turned to its other grades to fill the void with a mix of success and heartbreak with further injuries.
Last year’s 16-and-under best and fairest Jess Miles came up to A-grade this year and broke her finger last week.
Cardwell broke her ankle landing on someone’s foot.
Another cloud hangs over Elkie Turner who landed on her wrist at the end of Saturday’s game and will get an x-ray this week.
At the other end of the spectrum defender Mel Scatchard, who played C-grade last year, lifted in the second half of the Albury game and grabbed three crucial intercepts.
In other games the Wangaratta Rovers beat the Wodonga Raiders 56-31.
Rovers’ Jessica Clarke netted 36 goals and teammate Samantha Kreltszheim got 20.
Wangaratta defeated Myrtleford 55-21 in another game of poor shooting.
Corowa-Rutherglen shocked Lavington Panthers when they led 11-9 after the first quarter of their match.
Panthers regained their composure and put the pressure on the Roos for the next two periods slowing up the scoring rate of the opposition and taking back the lead.
Lavington won 49-30.
