G1: Tigers stumble in Season Opener

A roar turned into a mere growl...

SCORE:  HUB  9 - 3  COVE 

Scorers:  Ella K: 1 goal

                Ella G: 2 goals

Ella G. Shooting Percentage: 2/8 (25%)

Season Shooting Average:  25%

Summary:

The season opener took place on a beautiful Friday night with ideal temperatures for netball. For the Cove Tigers, the opening night turned out to be one of nervous excitement turned mild disappointment as they lost their opener in a 9-3 score. 

The game was a game of firsts in many respects. It was the first time the girls have donned their orange and black uniforms. 

It was also the first time that they played as a team against real competition. For three of the players, it was their first game of netball.

Due to weather issues, the Tigers had limited practice time leading up to the contest and this became apparent as the game progressed. The team clearly lacked a transition game from the defence to the offence. However, the team showed strength at both ends of the court. 

The duo of Ella G and Ella K. played Goal Attack and Goal Shooter respectively, and they demonstrated surprising chemistry. Once they discovered that the taller defenders were vulnerable to the bounce pass the duo started to find each other in better shooting positions. The shooting was a challenge due to lack of practice and a net that may have been higher than the goals were accustomed to. 

On the defensive end, a Tiger's player named Ashley played a strong game interrupting the HUB attack and distributing the ball well up the court. The HUB team had the ability to move the ball quickly from defence to offence in a few short passes and the Tiger's defence spent large portions of the game under attack.

Aside from playing a new team there were other adjustments that were a challenge. Ella G. spoke of the difficulties of playing her first game at night. "The first two quarters it was too sunny. The third quarter was perfect and the fourth quarter was too dark." 

At the final buzzer, the score may not have been reflective of the true nature of the game as the Tigers were sorely pressed for a majority of the time. It speaks to the play of Ashley and other defenders that the HUB never breached the double digit mark. 

The next game is 18/10/13.

Quote of the Game:

"We had three players who had never played netball before. " - Coach M., who seemed generally pleased with the overall Tiger's performance. 

 -----------

1. Ashley

2. Ella G

3. Ella K

(NB. The three stars of the game will be decided after a discussion with other parents and viewers.)

(NB X 2: Duo to the policy of the Netball courts, there will not be any images from the games.)