Hay 52 defeated Ultima 49
THE Preliminary final of the Golden Rivers A grade competition promised to be a close encounter between two teams new to finals success in recent times, with Hay completing their remarkable turnaround to defeat Ultima by three goals.
The first quarter was reasonably high-scoring, with both teams having strong midcourt battles to win the ball.
Hay’s Toni Rivett was matched against Ultima coach Tayla Foster, with the Roos’ leader a fierce competitor and having had the better of most opponents all season, and Rivett providing plenty of run for her team and feeding her goalies well as the Lions took a two-goal lead into the first break.
The second term saw the impressive Kellie Walker begin to hit her straps in goals for the Lions, with her movement and positioning in the goal circle second to none.
Ultima goal keeper Bianca Brasser worked tirelessly but couldn’t stop the accuracy of Walker, while Hay’s Ellen Jamieson was battling for position against Ultima’s Lou Frost, whose body on defence was proving to tire Jamieson, although it was Hay who extended their lead to six goals at half-time.
Ultima are renowned for their comeback style of play, with a positional change in Hay’s midcourt and defence proving costly as Ultima began to fire.
Goalers Madison Davies and Ash Sanders used their quick-running style of play and Hay’s defence seemed to be run off their feet as the Roos gathered some much-needed momentum and won the quarter, cutting the margin to four goals ahead of the final term.
It was going to take a monster effort by Ultima to get on top after being down all game but they found some spark and came out of the blocks firing, shooting the first three goals of the quarter.
The scores continued creeping closer together and simple errors and panic were starting to come into play for both teams.
However, Walker (39) stayed composed with the ball.
She has been instrumental in the Lions’ performances all year and this game was no different, with Ultima’s Jackelyn Burge and Jade Symons determined to get their team over the line.
It would prove to be too little, too late for the Roos, however, with Hay’s strong first half proving crucial in the final result, claiming a 52-49 goal victory.
The Lions have now won the right to a home grand final against an injury-ravaged Murrabit, where it will be anyone’s game, with the Lions having come from the bottom of the ladder last season to grand finalist in fairytale fashion, with two-time premiers Murrabit the only team standing in their way.
