Tara Murray
The Western Warriors proved no match for the City West Falcons but they got a glimpse at the future in the Victorian Netball League championship.
The top of the ladder Falcons went in as red hot favourites in the western derby at the Altona Sports Complex on Wednesday night.
They jumped out of the blocks and were able to come away with a strong 82-56 win.
Bailey said they always knew they were up against it. She said even though they had been together for nearly the whole season they were still finding those connections.
“It’s always a tough game as they are a quality side,” Bailey said. “You can tell they have been together for a number of years.
“We gave the opportunity to give some of the girls a chance to get on court.
“Eliza [Gollant] had a great game in goal defence and was well supported by Elly Randall.
“Akira McCormack played a half and had a great game as well. We need to give these girls opportunities and get court time under their belts to get ready for the future.”
The Warriors named Julia Woolley their best on court for her performance in goal attack, especially in the second half.
Bailey said she combined well with McCormack.
Vanessa Augustini and Ruby Shannon had good games in the midcourt and Georgia Berry worked really hard against Falcons shooter Jane Cook.
Meanwhile, the Warriors under-23 side produced one of its best performances of the season to knock off the Falcons, 54-51.
Bailey said they were thrilled with the performance of the girls.
“It was really good,” she said. “We led at quarter time after a really strong first quarter.
“We had a little bit of a dip in the second and we continued to hold on and get the win.
“The win was so pleasing for these girls who have worked so hard. They had a really good training session on Monday night.”
The Falcons came hard in the second half, but the Warriors were able to hold their composure which they’ve struggled with at times,
Bailey said it was nice to get a win like at the back end of the season and it’s reward for the hard work they’ve put in.
The Warriors finish off their season on Wednesday against the Wilson Storage Southern Saints.
Bailey said they were hoping to finish the season on a high. The championship side sits in 10th spot with six wins and the under-23s in 10th with five wins.
“We had a competitive game against them last time,” she said.
“We want to finish the way we started with a win.
“To be honest we’re a bit disappointed with the ladder position. We had some really close games many times and couldn’t get across the line when we needed to.
“There’s still some positives out of our first season.”
