Down but not out!

After an exciting finish to the home and away season, a final round win saw Waverley settle on top of the State League 1 ladder.  This put the team in an ideal position as they tackle the 2010 finals series by giving them the double chance if there was a hiccup along the way.

Sunday afternoon saw the Panthers venture out to the State Netball Hockey Centre to take on second placed Hawthorn with the winner of the duel gaining a place in the grand final.  With a rich history in finals between the 2 sides, an arm wrestle of a match was expected.

Hawthorn took the game by the scruff of the neck early in the match catching the Panthers off guard due to their lethargic movements. Superior ball handling and strength in contests put the Panther defence under immense pressure.  Goal Keeper Tom Scott was sensational in the net denying Hawthorn’s field shots and penalty corner attempt from finding their way into the goal.

A sharp transition into attack by Hawthorn caught Waverley on the turn allowing their striker to run uncontested to their attacking 25.  A series of soft Waverley tackles failed to break down the surging striker who continued on his merry way to slot the ball past a helpless Scott and take scoreboard ascendancy.  As the teams entered half time with Hawthorn up 1-0 the game was still there to be won.

A deserved spray from coach Zac Hawes at half time questioning the Panthers work rate and endeavour, spurred the group to much improved start to the second half.  From the whistle the Panthers were straight into attack.  Increasing the pressure and sharpening their movement was the catalyst to gaining penetration against the Hawthorn defence.  A good mix of cracking the ball in for deflections and solid build ups with width saw the Panthers create some much needed opportunities to level the scorecard but unfortunately were unable to capitalise.  Wes Moore found himself on the end of a few great passages of play but agonisingly was unable to score.

A sense of frustration for Waverley as a result of not being able to find the back of the net from numerous chances began to set in and the typical confidence in their attacking circle was gone.  Even power flicker Stephen Jarvis couldn’t put one past the Hawthorn goalie.

As minutes turned into seconds, despite all the chances they had the Panthers were unable to peg back the solitary goal and as the siren sounded the team was left ruing an opportunity to play in the grand final.

Whilst a disappointing result for the team the hard work put in during the year to give them the finals double chance has paid off and will now face Camberwell in a fierce rivalry match to earn the right to play Hawthorn for the 2010 State League 1 Premiership.