The Reserves and Netball A Grade #LovetheGame after wins on the weekend in the ‘Love the Game’ round.

B Reserve played Mt Waverley in a cold, wet and windy game. Last time they met, the Yarras had a good win and were eager to replicate it this week. With a strong start to the match, the goalers were on target. Working hard and sinking goals, the Yarras crept out to a six goal lead. Unfortunately, too many opportunities were thrown away with wayward passes missing targets and the wet ball slipping through too many fingers. Mary worked hard defensively, being a nuisance to the shooters whose frustration kept getting the better of them, resulting in free passes for the Yarras. Her persistence and turnovers earned her best on ground. A lot to learn from this match going forward. Mt Waverley (23) defeated South Yarra (21).

B grade took on Doveton on their home court this week. Just before the game started the rain started to fall like freezing cold bullets, which made the first quarter feel not dissimilar to the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The troops carried on to be only behind by 3 goals at the quarter time break. Once again our defensive end worked tirelessly to stop scoring opportunities and gain turnover ball. The Yarras put together a strong game considering that Doveton are sitting at the top of the ladder. Best on court this week went to Laura, for outstanding body position in the circle and the numerous intercepts down the court. A special mention to Kristal for her consistent performances week in and week out. In the end the Yarras went down by 9 goals but it was a good performance to build on for next week.

A Reserve played against Mordialloc with the weather turning sour even before the warm up. The Yarras were strong from the first centre pass and took charge early by playing their game and capitalising on any intercepts and loose balls. The Yarras were hungry for a win. Again, the dynamic duo of Carrie and Steph worked well in the ring, with the defence end working endlessly to turn the ball over. Our mid-court consisting of Candice, Ness and Gemma got hands to many wayward passes and worked hard to bring the wall down the court and shut down any leads Mordialloc tried to make. Gemma played an outstanding game, earning her best on court. The Yarras looked set to clock a win but unfortunately let it slip in the last quarter to go down by 5. Yarras 33 were defeated by Mordialloc 38.

A Grade welcomed another great team win to cement their finals position leading into the last few weeks of the season. In a mighty chilly day at Dingley, the Yarras set the court on fire with a score of 15 goals to their opposition’s 3 in the second quarter! Whilst the remaining quarters were not quite as electric, a handy 16 goal win was well received. Sam Tangirala’s incredible reach caused endless turnovers, and was a great asset once again! Bec Eagleson made her A grade debut, providing perfectly positioned defensive pressure and accurate passing down the court. In her game of the season, Jess Buerckner was a formidable target, feeding with accuracy and intuition, and a deserved recipient of the best on court. Another great team effort with positivity and sportsmanship that makes each game a pleasure to be involved with! South Yarra 45 defeated Bentleigh 29.

The Thirds had the early start of 8:45am and started the day in dubious circumstances with only 12 players at the ground by 8:20. Reinforcements arrived just before the first bounce to give the team 17 players to battle it out against third placed, Dingley. In a slow start to the match the Yarras gave up two easy goals to the Dingos whilst just scoring two behinds to be behind 14 to 2 at quarter time. Dallas pleaded with the boys to put in a better effort and have pride in the jumper. Everyone lifted their efforts, with 17 players looking like 20 with plenty of Maroon and Blue around the football. With no wings the Yarras dominated the corridor with the midfield treating the dingos like cones. The forwards gave multiple options throughout the day. The strong effort by all gave us a one goal lead at half time. The match became a seesaw affair in the second half with both teams having chances to build a lead. The Yarras were ferocious at the ball, putting their bodies on the line at every contest. Sadly one act by the Dingos resulted in a Yarra being knocked out and like the rest of the team was unsure why he was in Dingley at 8:45 in the morning. This left an already depleted squad down to 16. The Yarras continued to push and held the lead for the majority of the fourth quarter until with seven seconds remaining the umpire called an unlucky Yarra for taking the legs out. This resulted in a Dingley free kick about 20 metres in front of the goals and after the siren. A very nervous Dingo kicked a very wonky kick, doing everything he could to miss the goals found a way to sneak it in for a heartbreaking goal and consequently, the Yarras lost 38 to 40. All the Thirds should hold their heads up high in what was a tremendous effort by everyone in maroon and blue. With more efforts like that the Yarras should have an impact come September.

The Reserves had more changes than a Shakespearean play, with seven changes into the side for their match away at Doveton. The Yarras haven’t lost to Doveton since 2009. Dorca opened the Yarras account with two goals, including a snap over his head from forty metres out replicating the skills from another Drouin hero, G. Ablett Snr. The Yarras piled on five goals during the second quarter whilst keeping their opponents goalless to give the Yarras a commanding 34 point lead at the major break. Presland received the ball whilst he was uncharacteristically alone in the forward line, and ran into an open goal. Khoury put his turbo charger on and burnt his opponent to run thirty metres and then kick a great goal which inspired Quince to do the same only moments later. Lange kicked two goals, whilst Phillips, Zach and Onions all contributed with a goal each. The match was marred with many off the ball incidents and more cards were dealt than the black jack table at the casino. Coach Tuck was happy with all 21 players that contributed a four quarter effort. The Yarras continued their winning streak over Doveton as the final scores were Yarras 10-4-64 defeated Doveton 7-7-49.

After a loss to Hallam, the Seniors needed a victory against Doveton to secure a spot in the top 4 and keep hopes of a second chance in the finals alive. We traded goals with Doveton in the first stanza but a silly free kick gave the opposition a goal right on quarter time. This gave them a lead they would not relinquish, and, with Doveton outscoring us by five goals in the second quarter things looked pretty dire. A shining light was Eric’s clever ball use up forward, he was great in his senior debut. Moving Dan up forward showed some promise in the second half but a South Yarra comeback was again stopped in its tracks by a clinical Eagles outfit. With Adsy rubbed out early and a couple of injuries, this left a huge amount of work to Eamon, Rusty, Keke and Bender in the middle. The boys fought hard but the Eagles forward thrusts were too much for us and we went down by 8 goals. The boys will bounce back in a big way when the Redlegs come to visit this week.

Come celebrate 50 years of Yarras at the Golden Jubilee ball on 22nd July.

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