It had all the makings of a classic encounter and Diggers Rest’s clash against Melton Centrals lived up to the billing in the Riddell District Netball League on Saturday.
With the winner set to earn a finals place, the Centrals came out on top, building an early lead then holding off the fast-finishing Burras.
After taking a one-goal lead into quarter- time, Melton found some of its best form after the break.
It scored 16 second-term goals while restricting the Burras to seven.
Melton continued to run with the momentum after the main break with a further 14 goals extending the margin.
But just when it looked like a blowout was on the cards, Diggers Rest hit back.
The Burras defence took control in the final term, restricting the Centrals to six goals while their attackers scored at the other end.
But after cutting the margin to one, Diggers Rest couldn’t clear the final hurdle and Centrals regrouped to win 49-47.
Melton coach Randy Pereira admitted the closeness of the scores gave him plenty of nervous moments late in the match.
“We were actually 10 goals up with about six minutes to go and I think the girls thought they had it won,” he said.
“Our lead actually got down to one goal before we eventually got it back out to the two.
“It was certainly nerve-wracking but it was great to get the win and be back in the finals; we’re looking forward to them.”
Melton shooter Monika Dimovski was outstanding for the Centrals, scoring 34 goals, and was well supported by 15 from Shelby Brady.
After being available only sparingly through the season, Dimovski is a certain starter for the first round of finals.
For Diggers Rest, Vanessa Seddon was the leading scorer with 31.
With his team having battled injuries to key players throughout year, Pereira was full of praise for the way his team fought out the home-and-away season.
“We’ve played a lot of kids this year from the under-19s,” Pereira said.
“They’ve come in and really stepped up. That has been one of the positive things. It holds us in good stead, with a few players thinking about coming back next year. But we still have plenty of business to do this year and even though we’ll be sixth you never know what can happen once finals start.”
In the final round of the season, Diggers Rest will take on Macedon, while Centrals will enjoy the bye.
