The GIANTS were out to put their preparation into practice when they took the court over the weekend as part of their Riverina road trip.
With two games against last year’s grand finalists – the Melbourne Vixens- the communities of Griffith and Wagga Wagga were privy to quite the experience, with two high-quality and intense games of netball
While it’s still early in pre-season, there was a lot to like from the orange team as they look to change their fortunes from season 2024.
After a delayed start to the game in Griffith due to a leaky air-conditioning system following a 40-degree day, the GIANTS stormed out of the blocks for an impressive 19-11 first quarter.
It was the foundations of the first quarter that set up the GIANTS for the remainder of the game, as the Vixens clawed back the difference to just one goal throughout the second and third quarters.
Levelling the scores with seven minutes to go in the game, a younger GIANTS line up remained composed to control the final minutes of play and take the lead at a moment that mattered.
It was Matisse Letherbarrow that sunk the match winning shot, but Friday night’s win came through the entire team’s effort, headlined by Jo Harten’s prolific shooting, Jamie-Lee Price’ stamina and smarts, and Hope White’s drive in attack.
The standout of the match was second-year GIANT Erin O’Brien who was the GIANTS’ leading ball winner in defence, helping the team to win plenty of ball inside the circle.
On the road and further south to Wagga Wagga it was almost déjà vu as the GIANTS held on in another one-goal nail-biter.
Backing up another strong start for a second straight game, the GIANTS built up a lead of 11 goals throughout the first three quarters.
Slow to adapt to the changes and determination of the Vixens in the final 15 minutes, the visitors once again managed to get themselves back into the game.
Leading by just one with less than 20 seconds on the clock, the GIANTS had ball in hand for the final centre pass of the game. Remaining calm and controlled, the GIANTS played down the clock to secure their second-straight one-goal win.
Jodi-Ann Ward channelled the energy and intent off her young defensive companion in the GIANTS’ defensive circle to be a strong competitor, while our Diamonds duo in Price and Sophie Dwyer showed their world-class experience on the regional stage.
GIANTS head coach Julie Fitzgerald said she was mostly pleased with the results of the weekend.
“The weekend proved a fantastic opportunity for us to test ourselves and our strategy against a quality opponent in the Melbourne Vixens, so to walk away with two wins was really pleasing,” she said.
“We’re a team that needed to learn to win again and although we let two great leads go, it was really positive to see the girls hang on and control the game in those crucial moments, as that’s not something we were able to do too well last year.
“We’ll take a good look at how and where we managed to allow them to get back into the games and look to address that, but we’ll also look at the fantastic starts we had in both games and ensure we can continue to do that moving forward.
“We’ve only been together as a full squad for one week so I’m really happy to start with that as our foundations for pre-season and we’ll continue to build from here for the rest of pre-season.”
Alongside the on court action this weekend, the GIANTS were also kept busy off the court by engaging in an array of community activity in both Griffith and Wagga Wagga.
“Once again we’ve loved our time in the Riverina region,” Fitzgerald said.
“Our club is built on community and family, so to visit the regional communities and provide a memorable and engaging experience is something we always enjoy and we hope the people of Griffith and Wagga Wagga enjoyed the visit as much as we did.”
The GIANTS will enjoy a few days off before they return to training in preparation for their next pre-season trip to Ballarat.
