CENTER PASS
Podcast about a netball powerhouses journey that could reap a premiership in 2024 , my views, my thoughts
CENTER PASS
High-Stakes Netball Drama: Rumbalara Dominates Moama
What tactics turned the tide in an intense netball rivalry? Join us on Centre Pass for a deep dive into the high-stakes clash between Rumbalara and Moama. You'll discover how the young umpires' fairness and consistency set the stage for a thrilling encounter, and why Rumbalara's significant roster changes for the 2024 season played a pivotal role. We recount the electric atmosphere and challenging weather conditions on game day, which added to the tension and excitement of this anticipated match.
Witness the relentless spirit of the Rumbalara team as we spotlight key players like Jessie Barnes, Tiarna Steel, and Jessie Bamblett. Their adaptability and strategic gameplay were game-changers, leading to standout moments such as Lani's defensive prowess, Sarah and Emily's crucial intercepts, and Kai's accurate feeds. Learn how the team's tactical adjustments and ability to capitalize on Moama's mistakes led to a decisive second quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game.
As we break down Rumbalara's dominant performance, especially in the third quarter, you'll see how their cohesive teamwork and strategic plays left Moama struggling to keep up. Despite Moama's efforts to adapt, Rumballara's stellar defense by Tiarna Steel and strong leadership from Jess Bamblett secured a commanding 17-goal victory. Looking ahead to their next match against Tongala, Rumbalara's winning culture and unwavering confidence make them a formidable contender. Don't miss this episode for all the action and insights from one of the most thrilling games of the season!
Hey everybody, welcome to Centre Pass, a roundabout podcast about a guy talking netball and gets criticised for it, and today we're going to do the review of yesterday's game between Rumballara and Moama, and before I do, though, I just want to pretty much say congratulations to the two umpires and I'm part of the game yesterday two young guys that aren't part of the game yeah, best umpiring that I've ever, ever seen for a long time. They just let the flow. Um, it was an intense game, but those two just let the game flow. There was no bias. Um, they were fair, they were consistent, and that's all you want is consistency. And these two umpires yesterday, um, whoever they were, my hat goes off to both years. Um, congratulations. I thought the umpiring was absolutely fantastic in the game yesterday, so let's get right into it. Um, this game has been building and building and building um pretty much all year, since round two. Well, really, since probably, uh, since probably year 2022 when um rumb knocked Moama out of an elimination final. Well, it actually wasn't an elimination final, I think it was a first semifinal. And then last year, in circumstances that you don't really want games to be, one boy, in the last round, moema won by one goal against Rumbelara in a completely confusing manner. Rumbelara had to beat Moema last year not to play Moema in the elimination final. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. As I said, it was a confusing end to a great game and Moama come up trumps by one goal, which means the following week they had to back it up again and play each other in the elimination final. In the elimination final, mo, the elimination final moama got the job done over rumbler by three goals and knocked a rumbler out. So one all in in finals. Um rumbler knocking moama out in 2022. Moama knocking rumbler out in. So came into 2024.
Speaker 1:Rumba Lowe very new side recruited well, jesse Barnes, soph and Emily from Bundura in Melbourne. Madika come back, also down in her second year. But you got your stewards who congratulations to Jesse Bamblett as well for playing 200 club games yesterday or senior games yesterday, so absolute great person. Last couple of weeks or, yeah, probably the last month has been under duress because her mum passed away and then her auntie passed away. So well done, jessie Bamblett, 200 well-deserved matches. But yeah, so he had those new recruits and then he also brought up a couple of juniors in Larnie Atkinson and Nakai Bamblett To have a tilt this year. I still recall Jessie Bamblett in the grand final. After the grand final Everyone was over there because I think her under 15s were playing, and she's pretty much turned around and said that last year she was trying to develop Rambalara, bring the juniors up, and she said that this year she was recruiting to win a premiership.
Speaker 1:So we go into round two. As I I said, the hype was there. Moama had a massive, massive win, rumbelow were coming off a massive, massive win against Yumerka. So round two at Moama. These two sides come to head-to-head again. Moama came out with a great start, leading by six at quarter time, and then Rumbler just slowly, slowly, chipped away at it, chipped away at it, chipped away at it and pretty much did a 14-goal turnaround on one by eight, r-0, so undefeated up until yesterday. Moama, they had a bit of a hiccup against I think it was Tongayla. They got beaten by and after that they went 14-0. So you're pretty well much looking at, yeah, two sides that were pretty much on song, two sides that had massive form coming into this game yesterday.
Speaker 1:So, as I said, it had been building, it had been building all year. This game yesterday was the preview for definitely the second semifinal in the second round of finals to be played at Rumballara. Semi-final in the second round of finals to be played at Rumballara. These two sides will meet again in the second week of finals. So it was going to be massive and you'd probably say except for, maybe, finlay that these two were probably going to play in a grand final as well. So massive, massive game. The tension was building, the game was building. It's the clash of Titans. It was. It was, yeah, the pinnacle.
Speaker 1:As I said in my podcast last week, in my preview, these two sides have got skill tenacity. It was going to be physical, but physical in a great way, and it was because, as I said, these umpires yesterday were just absolutely, they were absolutely fantastic um. So the game was building. Um woke up yesterday morning. Unfortunately the weather was shit, it was raining. Um, not ideal for when you want a classic, classic um netball game. You you want it to be nice, sunny, so the skills can be there for people to see. But you deal with what you deal with.
Speaker 1:So it comes 1.30 or even earlier yesterday afternoon and you can just tell in the Rombolara camp they hid their nerves very well, I'd say you can just tell, in the Rumballara camp they were, they held, they hid their nerves very well. I'd say that's what I would put it down to is that they hid their nerves very, very well. They didn't show any nerves, they just, you know, I know like Sophie and Tiana were sort of dancing. I know Jessie Barnes at one stage I'm not sure what music she was listening to, she didn't have her headphones and that on, but she was bopping along. So they were very, very relaxed, but going about in their own minds what they needed to do for the day. So they were just in their own minds knowing, yep, this is what I need to do, this is what I need to do for the team, this is what I need to do for myself. So they were sort of going through it. They had no Medica, so Medica wasn't playing, so they were going through their own, going through their processes, their procedures. You know the way they're going to prepare themselves, the way they're going to prepare themselves. And, the same token, moema seemed very, very at ease as well. It was very weird because it was like not one play I don't think was showing any nerves. I know Nakai Bamlett turned around and said that she was. She felt a little bit sick at one stage because of nerves, and I mean nerves are a great thing. If you can feel nerves, it means you're feeling passionate about what you're going to do out there, um, so yeah, it was.
Speaker 1:It was building and fortunately, the? Um, the rain stayed away. So a big crowd built. You had a lot of Moama people there. They were absolutely. They wanted to win. There was two reasons for this game to be so big. So the first reason is Rambalara wanted to stay undefeated. Moama, they wanted to be the side. They wanted the papers and that to talk about them. They wanted to be the side that knocked off Rambalara. They wanted to be, yep, moama are the bee's knees, are the real deal. And you know Rambalara were the hunted and Moama the hunty. And you know, trying to knock Rambalara off top spot Well, they wouldn't have got to knock him off top spot but to actually knock him down a peg and give him their first defeat for the year. So big, big game.
Speaker 1:You know inside nerves but, as I said, rumbelar, they just you know their warm-ups. Their warm-up was like they normally warm-up. It may not have been as intense as what it normally is, but the girls were having a bit of a laugh, they're having some fun, they're talking within themselves. But then, yeah, and then come five minutes before the game, yeah, they switched on. You know, 10 minutes before the game you can see that they were switched on. Even in their warm-ups they were switched on. Rumbelara, so was Moema, moema you could see the intensity in their warm-ups too. So get to the first centre it's Rumbelara's first centre and bang, the game starts. And you're going to have nerves, you're going to have, you know, mistakes and everything else.
Speaker 1:And it took a while for Rumballara to score their first goal. So it was sort of they got it down there and you know there was some intercepts. And then, you know, moama got it back again and, like, the starting seven for Rumballara were, uh, jess bamlett, tiana steel in that defensive circle, um, then you had, uh, emily um in wing defense. You had, uh, oh sorry, no, kai started in wing defense. I had, um, sarah in center, emily in wing attack, then obviously jesse barnes, and so so that was their starting seven.
Speaker 1:And yeah, as I said, they sort of started off a little bit slow. Rambalara yeah, moama got on top. Rambalara eventually got their first goal out of their centre. And yeah, that's all Jess Bamut wants. She wants you to win the centre, win your centre and then, whatever happens after that happens, put the pressure on the opposition to make sure you get some turnovers.
Speaker 1:And that's the way the game actually was transpiring. It was just a game of pretty much backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. I know, all of a sudden Moama had a couple of turnovers because Rumble R were throwing the ball away. They threw the ball away a little bit and then Moama capitalised on it. So, yeah, I know they went probably two, three goals up at one stage in that quarter. And you're sort of thinking, yep, yeah, we've got a game on here. Yeah, definitely got a game on, we've got these.
Speaker 1:Two sides are not one and two just for their looks or whatever. They are here because they mean business. And yeah, the pressure was on. And you can tell in that first quarter there was a couple of mistakes being made on both sides. You know the ball was getting thrown away, but you know also too, the ball was wet. You know, if it hit the ground or whatever, it was slippery, it was wet. So it was really hard to handle the ball. But yeah, pretty much the goals were backwards and forwards in that first quarter. Pressure on. Yeah, you had Drys in that shooting circle and yeah, she's a very smart player, drys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, charlotte, yeah, the match-ups across the ground in that first quarter was just absolutely, they're just dreamed matchups. You've got a three-time Wellman medalist in Jesse Barnes up against an up-and-comer in Abbey Larkin, who's a great defender, played under-23 VNL and it was named in the under-19s Victorian side. So you've got a netballer that has done it in Jesse Barnes coming up, a netballer that's just about to do it. That's what I could put it down to. And then in that center circle you've got the ever-reliable Charlotte Sheldon for Moema. Yeah, she puts the pressure on, she knows what she's doing. She's up against Sarah, who you know she plays down in Melbourne Bandura. She runs marathons. She's very, very fit. Yeah, the match-ups. And then, you know you've had Tiana on her old teammate in Lisa Drysdale. Yeah, they did play against each other when Lisa was at Echuca and Chandler was at Swans as well. So there was match-ups everywhere.
Speaker 1:So this first quarter it was hot. It was hot. You know, there was a lot of talk. Moama were on song, they were up and about because they got a couple of goals in it and then Rumba would pull it back and then it'd swing. You know, seesaw, seesaw, seesaw and then, yeah, end of that first quarter. You know you could tell the intensity was there. These girls knew that there was. They had a game on. There was a game on and Rambalara, yeah, were down by one. So it was Moema 11 to Rambalara's 10. And you know different, different scenario as to the first time they played. So obviously the first time they played Moema was six goals up.
Speaker 1:So you know Rumbelara knew that they were still into it. Moema knew that they had a game on their hands. If they really wanted to knock off this undefeated side, they had to play probably above and beyond their best. And yeah, you could see that they were trying. You know Moama were really trying.
Speaker 1:You know Liz Lifter-Verna, at that quarter-time huddle she was very cool. She was, you know, letting them know what they needed to do. You know they were trying different things. You know the two shooters, lisa Drysdale and the other shooter, they were talking. The defenders, abby Larkin and Pip, were talking as well. You know, in the Rumbelara huddle, you know they were pretty much. They were very calm, like they were just sitting there or they weren't sitting there, sorry, they were standing there and Jess was just telling them what they needed to do. You know, just to relax, you know to reset and just go back out there and play your game. You know, as I said, the umpiring you know. And a couple of times there, you know Shiana and Jess were getting pulled for obstruction so they had to adjust their three feet, and you know so you think you say okay, getting pulled for obstruction, so they had to adjust their three feet. And you know. So you think you say okay, they're going to be umpiring the same way in that second quarter. And they did. So both sides come back out again in the second quarter.
Speaker 1:And I really don't know what it is about Rambalara. I think it's a belief. I don't know what it is about Rambalara. I think it's a belief, I think it's tenacity, but I think it's just pure, pure belief with these girls. They're sisters. Jessie Barnes said they're sisters. Chana Steele said they're sisters. Jessie Bambert said they're sisters.
Speaker 1:They fight for one another, they do what they've got to do for each other and whether that be, you know, four minutes on the court or you know, whatever it takes, you know, if you're sitting on the bench for a while and then you come on, you impact that play straight away. You're fresh, you've seen the play, you've watched the game. You know when you are going to get on there as a wing defence, a? You've watched the game. You know when you are going to get on there as a wing defence, a goal defence, a goalkeeper, a shooter, whatever. You know what you need to do and Jessie Bamblett has got that down pat with these girls that they can swap. So you get Lani coming on in defence, wing defence and I mean by no means Lani is quick, she's not but her defensive pressure in that wing defense position. You know she was getting hands to the ball, she was causing throw-ins, you know, and pretty much stopping play. You know, and she's up against Liv Taverna. You know Liv Taverna, the coach of Moema, she's not a bad player, emily Taverna, you know her sister won a league medal three years ago. So you know you had Emily on her as well. And you know the game was getting physical and the umpires were brilliant in it.
Speaker 1:So that second quarter come out and, as I said, I'm not sure what it is with Rambalara, but they just have got so much belief and they just started picking off the plays. They started working out what to go. You know how to do things. They started, you know, watching where Moema were throwing the ball and they were there first picking off the intercepts. Sarah was getting intercepts, emily was getting intercepts, koi Lani, tiana, you know, and then they would get it in. And Jess, you know, soph was a bit off on her game for the first couple of quarters, but she was still there, she was still present and all of a sudden, yeah, rambalara were getting a lot of turnovers.
Speaker 1:So, you know, they cleaned up their play a bit. They, you know they weren't making as many fundamental mistakes, but Moama were their defenders. As I said, you've got Abby Larkin who's an up-and-comer, she is a great defender. But they just had no answer for Soph and Jesse Barnes. And, as I said, this umpire in the first quarter was pulling Tiano up for obstruction. He was doing exactly the same thing to Moama's defenders and he was so consistent, and the other umpire as well was so consistent, and they would actually explain what they were doing and they were letting the players ask you know, what was it? Was it that first initial one or whatever, and they were actually explaining to us. So they were just absolutely fantastic, these employees.
Speaker 1:But the game was on and, as I said, moama, sort of they started to get overran and they looked they didn't look slow because they were very fit side, but just run below. They started to find. They really started to find their team match and really really start to look at what their matches are, how their team should look. And they sort of worked it out that they were playing Sarah and Emily in attack. But they play so much alike that they were starting to they'd come into each other's spaces and then they'd move and cut the same way. So having Sarah as a centre but putting Emily into a wing defence was just a yeah, it was a maestro shot, it was just, it was a great play. And then putting Kai because Deeks and Kai they actually play the same as well, they really the way they defend they're putting Kai into that wing attack position.
Speaker 1:Her feed into Soph and Jess was just unbelievable. Yeah, there was a couple of times there where she probably could have taken another couple of seconds or you know, to have another quick look, and she sort of threw the ball away. But you know, 90% of the time she was on songs her feeds into it. You know Sarah's feeds, you know Emily's feed, just that. And I'll say that back defensive pressure of Rambalara's was just absolutely on song and you know they started to take over and they pretty much, yeah, they sort of Moema was a bit shell-shocked in that second quarter. So, Moema, yeah, they only put on nine goals that quarter. They put on 11 in the first and nine in the second, but Rumba put on 14.
Speaker 1:So all of a sudden, rumba's in front by four goals leading into halftime and they've got their backs up. They've got a swag going on, they're coming off the court. They know, yeah, we've got their backs up. They've got a swag going on, they're coming off the court. They know, yeah, we've got this. Moama.
Speaker 1:On the other hand, they were over in their huddles and they're in. Yeah, they've got one or two, they're two or threes and they're just talking about what else can they do. And, yeah, you can see a lot of finger pointing and a lot of talking and a lot of you know, just try, yeah, jay-z's trying to coach the shooters into what's going on and how can they, how can they do things and, um, everything else and you know, live the van is being vocal and and and all of a sudden, that moema crowd was just quiet. Um, you know, they just, quite, as I said, rumbler shot 14 goals to nine in that second quarter and they came off with a swag and, yeah, they knew. Yep, we're on now we're on and, as I said, I just don't know what it is about Rumbelara, but they just seem to. They just they put the pressure on when they need to really put the pressure on and it's just things, just a couple of things that they get said. Like you know, jessie Barnes is so vocal and as soon as she'd yell, come on, rumba, the girls would pick up, and then Tiana and Jessie in that circle, they just and you know, if you really really want to watch, you know, and there's a pair that play in the GVL that probably you know in their day they were probably the two best defenders in the league and anywhere going around and that was Ash Mangan and Laura Pride and they played for Kai. They both play for Echuca now and just the communication in that defensive circle and yesterday, tiara and Jess, just that communication and knowing where to go and knowing when to go and knowing what to do. It was just a marvel You've got young girls that want to be defenders. Come and watch these two, watch them play. They are just absolutely brilliant. So anyway, halftime, yeah, rumbleler 24, moema 20, game on Still very tense.
Speaker 1:What happened after that was and yeah, it was phenomenal. So pretty much after halftime I was talking to Tiana Steele afterwards after the game and she was saying that sort of and they had a big shooter, moama, and what they were doing is Jorazi would go out to the pockets or leave that shooting circle and she was trying to drag Tiana out, which means it was isolating the tall shooter with Jesse Bamlett. Jesse Bamlett just hasn't got the height and they sort of started to see that and they sort of, you know, was like, well, hang on, we need to do something. So pretty much they picked it up straight away and they were sort of letting Dryzy go out by herself and instead of worrying about the player, tiana started worrying about the ball and all of a sudden she was starting to get intercepts after intercept and Drysie was left high and dry. They were new, they were trying to get it to her, but when they get it to her she had nowhere to go because she was hoping to drag Tiana Steele out and leave isolated one-on-one the shooter and Jess Bamber. But it just didn't work.
Speaker 1:And in that third quarter Rumble R sort of just changed gears. Moema was stuck in second and Rumble R just went to third and they just started hitting their targets. Hitting you know just their passing and just the way they passed the ball was just unbelievable. Their cuts, you know. They would lead, re-lead and they would switch to play. They're 45s. They'd switch to play. They'd go down one side of the court and then all of a sudden they'd switch it to the other.
Speaker 1:And all of a sudden Rumbelara started on a court that's small when you've got 14 girls on there. Rumbelara started to find free girls Like Kai was starting to be free, sarah was starting to be free, emily even in that wing defense position was free. Even Lani was free. It was like Moama just tried to chase. They were just stuck between defend one-on-one with my girls, I'd try and go out and grab that ball and they were just stuck in that no-man's land and Rumblar were getting space out in the pockets and then the feeds into Jess and Soph and Soph started to come into it a bit more.
Speaker 1:And yeah, that third quarter, rumblar had just, they walked all over Moema. Moema had no answers. They just they didn all over Moema, moema had no answers. They just they didn't lay down and die, but they just didn't have no answers. They sort of stopped. They sort of stopped for a minute Moema, they just and the girls, rumbler sensed it, like Terrence Steele said after the game, that she sensed in that third quarter that they just Moema, just the way their style of play, they just were throwing the ball around and hoping for the best and they just had no way of stopping Rumbelara.
Speaker 1:And you know, rumbelara just piling on goals, piling on goals and you know, as a supporter, just seeing the way they moved that ball was just fantastic. But you think to yourself okay, there's 15 minutes in a game, 15 minutes in a quarter. If you can be 17, 18 goals up at three-quarter time, you're pretty much game's over. And again all Jess Boundlin iterated was win your centre. All you've got to do is win your centre. If you can win your centre, they've still got to chase.
Speaker 1:So Rumble are just, in that third quarter, just piled on the goals. They were just going bang, bang, bang, moema, they were missing shots. All of a sudden, drizy wasn't as accurate, the shooter wasn't as accurate. They just started missing shots. They just couldn't get anywhere. They couldn't. They were hitting the rim. I know on a couple of times in that third quarter Drizy was having air balls. Now, that's not Drizy, she's a very good shooter. And yeah, lisa Drisdale was shooting air balls. They'd go up and then go back down again. She just they just yeah, the defense, that defense of Rumbelaris just choked them. They just had nowhere to go.
Speaker 1:And then just that free throw, like the transition back from defense into attack, for Rumbelaris was just yeah, they just caught Moema on the hop. They just Moema's girls were just, they were like they were two seconds behind or two steps behind. They just weren't there. They were there after the ball, after the fact. So the ball would say Sarah had passed or Lani had passed it to Sarah, and then Sarah had pass it on and all of a sudden Charlotte would be there. It's too late, the ball has already been passed on. And all of a sudden, rambalara getting goals. And you could tell that Rambalara were like no, we're on now, we're on, you can't stop us, we're going to kick you to the curb, moema, you cannot stop us.
Speaker 1:And three-quarter time Rumballara were up by 11. So you know, increased their lead by seven. So four goals at halftime, 11 goals at three-quarter time and, as I said, you know you'd like to be maybe 16, 17, 18 goals in, because you know you have to shoot every 30 seconds but also try and stop the other side for shooting. But Rumble Oak shot 17 goals, 17 goals in that third quarter to Moama's 10. And it was just, yeah, just unbelievable, just the way Moama were moving the ball and you know these girls were coming off. They knew it was a great quarter, they knew it was probably their best quarter of netball that they played all year. And they come off, they were all full of energy.
Speaker 1:But you look over at Moama and you know there was discussions in huddles and whereas Rumballara were in one huddle and they were talking as one, whereas Moema were talking as individuals or, as you know, like, oh, we'll put our defence here, we'll put our centres here, we'll put our shooters here and we'll talk about what's going on. They just had no clue. And that was the sense. As I said, the girls pretty much said that they felt that a three-quarter time that Moama just did not have any clue. And the only thing that Jess Bamblett said to the girls a three-quarter time was win your center. All you've got to do is win your center. We don't mind if we go goal for goal, but just win your center. Go goal for goal, goal for goal, goal for goal, but just win your center. Go goal for goal, goal for goal, goal for goal, and that will make you, yeah, that'll get you to win the game.
Speaker 1:And fourth quarter, moema decided. So the tall shooter I don't know her name, she actually they put her in defense and they brought in another young girl she's a 17-year-old with Jyzee Just trying to change things up. They are changing that mid-court Like they had. I think they had, like I think, 14 girls all up, so seven on the bench as well as seven playing Moama, and I don't think they used them all. And yeah, they tried. You know, to Moama's credit and to Liv Taverna's credit, yeah, you've got to try things, you've got to break that seal, you've got to try things. You're not going to know until you try. And yeah, so they came out.
Speaker 1:And pretty much the last quarter, yeah, rumbelara just did what they wanted. Again, you know, they come out. There was a couple of turnovers but yeah, there was turnovers on both sides. It was a funny quarter, to be honest. At the start there was a lot of turnovers but I mean, there was no goal scored. And, as I said, if you're you know even 11 goals, you know you get to the 10-minute mark, 9-minute mark of that quarter and you're still 11 goals up. You probably think you've won the game because, as I said, they've got to score every 30 seconds or whatever, or every 40 seconds. They've got to get the ball down there, score but also stop you from scoring. And Rumbler were winning their centers. There was a couple of turnovers. Moema scored a couple of times on their turnovers. So, yeah, they pegged the back a bit, but then Rumballara just settled and off they went and, as I said, the crowd was very much quietened. The Moema crowd, I think they were watching a side that. I think they realised that this side potentially could win a premiership now in Rumballara. Potentially they've got Tongala next week, but potentially could go completely undefeated. They just had winners all over the court.
Speaker 1:It was probably one of the best defensive games that Towns Steel's played. Jess Bamlett, ever so strong, rock solid Larnie when she had her opportunity. Sarah in that centre was just run. It got to a point last quarter they were able to rest Jess Bamlett, she was able to rest for the last five, ten minutes or five minutes anyway, but every girl. And then you had Jessie Barnes and Sophie in that shooting circle.
Speaker 1:There was a formality of the last quarter. As I said, they had to win their centres, rumbelara, and they sort of missed a couple, but they eventually started getting on top and it was goal for goal, for goal for goal. And you know, you just realised you know four minutes, five minutes to go, and you're, you know 12, 13 goals up. It's all over, red Rover for Moama. And yeah, rambalara just kicked on and eventually won by 17 goals. So eight goals first game, 17 goals this game. So you think that each week you get better as a netball side or as a football side or as any side. Each week you're getting better and you're working on your structures and you start.
Speaker 1:I really, really thought that this game would be a lot closer. I predicted Rumballara by about three goals. I actually, at the start, had a feeling that Moema could come up and win. But yeah, they Moema, yeah, I don't think they. Well, I mean they probably did improve, but I mean they've probably gone away after the game and thought, well, they hadn't improved because it was more of a. They went backwards. So, as I said, it was eight goal first game, 17,. So another nine goals on top.
Speaker 1:So yeah, for Rumballaro, though, they just continued. The juggernaut continued. They were phenomenal. The juggernaut continued, they were phenomenal. Their gameplay was phenomenal. They worked on their starting seven, they worked on where you know, and just to flick a switch and sort of pick off what plays the opposition were doing in an instant and adjust to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's just great work by Rumble R, especially in that defensive circle with Tiana and Jess, knowing that that's what Drizy was trying to do was trying to drag Tiana out and isolate one-on-one with the tall shooter, whereas Tiana went. No, I'm not going to have a bar of that, I'll move back in. And you know, drizy, you can, you know, do whatever you want outside that shooting circle. You can't shoot it. So we'll just stay here and worry about the ball and not worry about you. And and it paid off. Um drives, you went, quite she. You know they changed shooters. Um, there was no feed, there was no urgency in their feeds into their circle. Defensively, sarah as a center was great, so she stopped Charlotte's feeds. Emily and Lani were stopping the wing attack feed.
Speaker 1:And, as I said, these two umpires they just umpired brilliantly this game. And yeah, as I said, rumbleelaar, 17-goal win. Yeah, what does it mean for them? They just need to keep their heads and go into next week's game. Tongala had a loss yesterday. I'm not sure what's going on with Tongala. They don't seem to be the side they were last year when they won the premiership. But I mean, anything could happen. But you would pretty much say that next week Rambalara is probably favourites to beat Tongala. But, as I said, you can't be complacent. They've got one more game to go before finals. They want to be undefeated. They can't lose top spot now. So congratulations to Rambalara being minor premiers. So congratulations to Rumbelara being minor premiers.
Speaker 1:But yesterday's game, first quarter, stood up to what it was going to be. After that, though, it was just a Rumbelara show. They just played great netball. It was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters, to be honest. And Moema, they were stuck. They just did not know what to do. They've got some things that they need to work on. Moama. They were stuck. They just did not know what to do. They've got some things that they need to work on, moama, and you would have thought that they'd worked on them all year. You would have thought that they'd known how they played against Rumbelaro the first time they played them.
Speaker 1:As I said, they went out to a six-goal lead in the first quarter in the first game they played, but this time was only a one-goal lead. So, yeah, there's not much of a buffer. And then, yeah, it just after that. Just, unfortunately for Moama, they just could not do anything. They just yeah, they were stuck and yeah, rambalara just ran away with it. So congratulations to Ramballara beating Moama.
Speaker 1:It wasn't the cracker game that I thought it was going to be. Nevertheless, it was a great game, though Rumballara, the juggernaut, continues, moama needs some work to do and, yeah, they'll see each other again in two weeks time and hopefully it'll be a different scenario is what it was. It'll be a closer game, but yeah, anyway, that is me. Enough said have a great weekend. Great win by Rumble R 17 goals yesterday against Moama. They come up against Tom Galen next week. Should be another cracking. So they've had three hard games coming into finals, which is going to be great for them. So, yeah, have a great weekend.
Speaker 1:I will do a preview of the Tongala game next week. But, as I said, these girls at Rumbloa, they don't know any different, they only know how to win now, and they've got a winning culture. They act like winners. They've got a winning culture, um, they, they act like winners. Um, they've got a bit of swag about them. They're not cocky, they're confident, um, and the rest of the rest of the competition is trying to catch them. And, uh, they kicked one to the curb yesterday in moama that maybe thought that they were, uh, at half a chance. Next week they play Tonga and then final. So that's me. Enough said I'm out, have a great weekend and I'll talk to you later. Bye.
