Sport
29 August, 2025
Netball Semi Final Preview: Maryborough Giants v Talbot
In an intriguing twist of deja vu, Talbot will try to once again knock the Maryborough Giants out in straight sets when these two teams meet in the semi-final for the second year running.
After the Giants defeated the Hawks in both their home and away games in 2024, Talbot entered last season’s final as clear underdogs, looking to make the most of their first finals win in 15 years.
With the favourites leading 37-34 at three-quarter time, the Hawks generated some key interceptions late to snatch a preliminary final berth away from the Giants by two goals.
Despite that being only a year ago, both teams are noticeably different since that finals encounter, making the rematch hard to call.
The Hawks began their finals series extremely well, building a noticeable lead in the first quarter, and dominating the second term to deny Newstead with a controlling 22-goal win.
According to player-coach Eleisha Phelps, Sunday’s victory over the Steaders signifies how capable they are of going on another deep finals run.
“We just want to push it out for four quarters with strong, tight defence and quick attacking play so we don’t have those dumb moments against these teams,” she said.
“If we have those lapses, it could be a five-goal turnaround, so we can’t afford to have those. We need to chase all those loose balls and be able to convert off them.
“We are more than capable of getting up in our next game, we just need to play our best netball.”
As for the Giants, they went toe-to-toe with the reigning premiers Avoca in the first half, with the score at 26-25 before the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half.
“I think there were a lot of positives to take out of the first half. It was always going to be a challenge to match their intensity for the whole game,” Maryborough Giants A grade coach Annalyse Carroll said.
“I think our one-on-one defensive pressure in the first half was a big reason for us being fairly even in the first half. We were able to really hold up their drive down the court and force their feeds from off the circle.
“Our decision-making under fatigue certainly let us down in the second half, and we didn’t adjust to the changes they made at half time.
“Our full-court defensive pressure lagged a little bit, and with a team like Avoca, you can’t afford to do that.”
In their only meeting with the Hawks this season, the Giants stormed away to a 21-goal victory, with shooters Lacey Broad and Abbey Devereaux combining to score 73 goals from 85 attempts.
After last season’s disappointments, Carroll said her team is highly motivated to earn that elusive first A grade finals win on Saturday.
“I think it will be quite a physical game, so making sure we are passing to our advantage and having really strong leads all across the court will be important,” she said.
“I think again that midcourt defensive pressure will play a key role, making sure we are patient with our ball use in attack and that we are mixing up our ball entry into the ring.”