Hoppers teams miss but still alive

The Rovers, as always, came out strong, with their shooting accuracy, defensive pressure and ball movement looking impeccable.

The girls settled into the game as it went on, creating turnovers and putting up some brilliant shots.

The standout of the game was superstar centre, Lily. A quiet talent who never lets you know what’s coming next, Lily created space, moved the ball down the court with ease and created opportunities for our shooters.

Twin pillars Ella and Liv Lewis also had standout games, holding up the team at both ends of the court.

Ella’s shooting accuracy and Liv’s hands-over pressure made things tricky for the strong Deni side.

While the girls didn’t get the win, they played a fantastic game and showed just how close they are to the top of the ladder team.

The team also wishes Deni’s star GS Ruby a speedy recovery and thank the Deni girls for a clean and competitive game.

The Under 17s look ahead to this weekend, when they take on Jerilderie at Berrigan on Saturday.

Under 15s

Rennie 21 lost to Tungamah 36

An amazing fight from the Rennie girls in their qualifying final against Tungamah.

Although they didn’t come away with the win, the girls showed just how much they are continuing to improve each week and how well they are working together as a team.

The girls started strongly, showing great determination and composure under pressure.

Maisie and Chelsea worked tirelessly in attack, while Lily and Ella were outstanding in defence.

Midcourters, Dakota, Zali and Carla, rotated well to keep fresh legs on the court, with Ava also using her defensive skills effectively when moving up the court.

Sienna was an excellent rotation into WD and the ring, listening, adapting and adjusting her play to suit the needs of the game.

Overall, there is so much to be proud of.

The girls showed plenty of fight, teamwork and determination, and we’re excited to see what they can bring heading into the semi-final.

Awards: Maisie Cope, Dakota True, Lily Lewis

Under 14s

2nd Qualifying Final

Hopper fourths lose Qualifying Final

Deni Rovers 0.0 2.0 3.0 4.4 (28) def Rennie 1.1 1.2 2.5 2.7 (19)

Rennie went down in extra time, losing to Deni Rovers by nine points at Strathmerton on Sunday.

In foggy conditions, Deni settled early as the Hoppers struggled to get the ball through half-forward.

It was some super defence, led by Strawhorn and Hunter Lewis, that continued to repel the Rovers’ forward forays, and when True kicked the only goal of the quarter, the Hoppers had grabbed an unlikely seven-point lead at the first change.

The second term saw the inside-50 differential finally tell in Deni’s favour.

They had probably 70 per cent of the play in the first half and were able to have their ruckman drift forward and kick two important goals to grab a four-point lead.

The Hoppers seemed to switch on in the third term, with Legudi and Taylor Lewis winning important ball.

However, they were let down by poor kicking, finding the opposition on many occasions, as well as being sucked into the contest while their opponents held their width and used the space to their advantage.

A late goal from Ednie closed the margin, with Rovers leading by just one point at the final break.

The Hoppers had the best of the final term as Santoro and Wallace had constructive touches, but a series of points was all they had to show for their efforts.

After they levelled the scores with two minutes to go, neither side could find a match-winner.

Extra time of five minutes each way saw Deni’s big man drift forward to kick his third goal for the morning, and the Hoppers were unable to answer in the final five minutes, going down by nine points.

The Hoppers were solid but lacked an X-factor up forward and consistency of effort across the entire match. Deni were more consistent for longer and were deserved winners.

Rennie now take on Dookie at Katandra next Sunday at 9.15am in a do-or-die semi-final.

Awards: Darren Lewis Fencing: Brax Ednie; Yarrawonga Skin Sun and Surf: Finley Strawhorn; Yarrawonga Bakery: Hunter Lewis; Border Concrete Plumbing: Lenny Legudi; Crawford Family: Taylor Lewis.

Club Note: Supporters are encouraged to keep an eye on social media for details of the Grand Final Eve luncheon at the Ski Club and to make sure they get their tickets for the presentation functions.

Goals Deni Rovers: C. Leiper 6, H. Rennie 5, C. Sartore 4, T. McCully 3, S. Strong 2, M. Benger 1.

Goals Rennie: B. True 1, B. Ednie 1.

Best Deni Rovers: C. Hardman, L. Braybon.

Best Rennie: B. Ednie, F. Strawhorn, H. Lewis, L. Lequdi, T. Lewis.