Ever wondered how a team adapts when key players are off the court? This episode of Shooting From the Circle with me, Brett, offers an exclusive look into Rumballara's A-Grade side as they navigate a high-stakes game against the formidable Mulwala Lions without their regular lineup. You'll get to hear about the B-graders who rose to the challenge and how the team's strategy and cohesion were put to the test. Revel in the quarter-by-quarter breakdown where Sophie Atkinson and Jesse Barnes-Hill left their mark and discover the tactical shifts that kept Rumbalara's lead intact, despite the unexpected roster shake-up.
As the netball season boils with intensity, join me for a deep dive into the league's latest twists and turns. Rumbalara's undefeated streak is the talk of the town, and with a bye week up ahead and a star player's return in the offing, the game's dynamics are bound to shift. and hear my thoughts on potential repercussions of key injuries across the league. Stay tuned for a seasoned perspective on what's next for Rumbalara as we scope out their critical upcoming matches and speculate on their chances to keep the winning streak alive in the face of ever-tougher adversaries.
Ever wondered how a team adapts when key players are off the court? This episode of Shooting From the Circle with me, Brett, offers an exclusive look into Rumballara's A-Grade side as they navigate a high-stakes game against the formidable Mulwala Lions without their regular lineup. You'll get to hear about the B-graders who rose to the challenge and how the team's strategy and cohesion were put to the test. Revel in the quarter-by-quarter breakdown where Sophie Atkinson and Jesse Barnes-Hill left their mark and discover the tactical shifts that kept Rumbalara's lead intact, despite the unexpected roster shake-up.
As the netball season boils with intensity, join me for a deep dive into the league's latest twists and turns. Rumbalara's undefeated streak is the talk of the town, and with a bye week up ahead and a star player's return in the offing, the game's dynamics are bound to shift. and hear my thoughts on potential repercussions of key injuries across the league. Stay tuned for a seasoned perspective on what's next for Rumbalara as we scope out their critical upcoming matches and speculate on their chances to keep the winning streak alive in the face of ever-tougher adversaries.
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Shooting From the Circle where we follow the Rumballara Football and Netball Club's A-Grade side on a quest for a premiership in 2024. I'm your host, brett, and thank you for listening. So today we're going to do a preview of the game where Rumballara went over to Malwala town yesterday, went over the border to play. The Malwala Lions Now Malwala last year were grand finalists. They played against Tongala last year they got beaten by seven goals. So very strong side, very strong side. They're missing Lily Sharp who went to Queensland. I put that in my podcast. So they're a very strong side, very strong side. They're missing really sharp um who went to queensland. I put that in my podcast.
Speaker 1:
So they're very unknown side, as in uh personnel. So not really sure who was playing, who wasn't playing, um, whether it was going to be the same side that played last year. So it was an unknown for rumballara going over there yesterday. But also Rumbelara had their own personnel issues so Madika still wasn't back from overseas, emily had gone overseas, kai wasn't available. So pretty much half an hour, maybe an hour before the game, they were pretty much scraping the barrel of Rumbelara because of these people going away on holidays and everything else. They had six. They were finally able to get a couple of B-graders to come in. So you had Mim, you had Tajora and you had Muriel from B-grade step up. Plus Lani was back. So that was a great acquisition. She didn't play last week, obviously. So, yeah, it was unknown for Rambalara and unknown for Moala. Moala sort of knew what they were getting into, because you just got to have a look at the scores over the last probably month of netball and Rambalara have actually, you know, really put put the scores on the board. I think they're leading the scoring at the moment. Yeah, when you've got Sophie Atkinson and Jesse Barnes-Hill in that shooting circle, they're probably the most in-form shooters at the moment.
Speaker 1:
I mean, millie Brock was, but Rumbelara took Tongala to town last week, swept the floor with them. They really didn't have no answer for them. So yesterday it was a different game. It was a very. Yeah, it was hard to explain. So the game started. So the lineup for Rumballara was we'll start from the defensive end. So you had Jess B in goalkeeper, you had Tiana Steele in goal defense, he had Lani in wing defense, he had Sarah in center, he had Mim in wing attack. Then you had Soph playing goal attack and Jesse Barnes as goal shooter. So that was your lineup, different lineup from last week when they come up against Tongala, obviously.
Speaker 1:
So the game started and I think Tonga, what Rumbelara really wanted to do, they wanted to stamp the authority straight away. They wanted to put the score on the board straight away. So make Moela chase, which they did. I mean it wasn't. Probably you wouldn't say it was their best. Yeah, it wasn't their best quarter, but yeah, they did well. Yeah, rumble are out. They did well against a side that wanted to come out and prove a point as well because, as I said, they were a great finalist last year.
Speaker 1:
So that first quarter was a bit of a to and fro, a bit of a finding, a finding feet. Finding out because, as I said, you had a new combination in that midcourt, with lani back, um, and you know, emily was, uh, gone, so sarah was there by herself, and then you had mim, who doesn't normally play a grade. So it's very hard to connect in the midcourt when you've got three girls that haven't really played together. So, um, sarah was really missing. Emily, you can tell, because they just complement each other in that mid midcourt. They, they pass the ball to each other, they know where each other's going to be and that feed that Emily gives into the shooters is, um, unbelievable.
Speaker 1:
So, yeah, that first quarter was probably more feeling themselves out, trying to work out where to go. You had new shooters for Moela, so it was, you know, and Moela's defensive and they did all right, but they were under pressure Like the ball continually come down. One thing that they probably Rumbelary probably didn't really do well was capitalize on turnovers, so scoring off turnovers. So they pretty much, yeah, they sort of threw the ball away a bit, but that could have been because, yeah, as I said, they're missing three of their top players and they'll still find it. Yeah, still trying to work out where things were, how things were.
Speaker 1:
But, yeah, so the first quarter was a bit of to and fro and then rumbelara got in front, um, and they continued to stay in front. They, yeah, they, they shot pretty well. I don't think they shot as efficient as what they normally do, but they shot very well. Um, the defensive end of tiara and jess bamlett were excellent. Um, yeah, quarter time they were up by seven goals, so it was 18 to 11. Probably not what Rumbler were expecting. They were probably expecting to probably hold them for less goals and probably had to shot more goals themselves. But, as I said, it was just a very, very weird day. It was just a weird sort of weird sort of day.
Speaker 1:
But anyway, second quarter come on and Rumballara changed it up. They changed their levels, they um, yeah, they just just changed everything. They, they were just on song. They were, um, it was phenomenal, but they just went berserk. They, um their defensive end, like tiana steel and jessie pamplet, were just absolute on song.
Speaker 1:
In that second quarter the midcourt started to really really gel and that shootings, um, like my wireless defense, they had nothing. They could not. They, yeah, they just they had nothing. Um, mim was playing well in wing attack. Lani was ever so strong in that wing defense position. She played that position well. She was getting tapped, she was getting intercepts, she was putting pressure on which, yeah, which helped um the defensive end of Tiana and Jesse Bamblett. So that was really really it was a telling quarter for Rumballara to stamp their authority. Yeah, they just decided that that was it.
Speaker 1:
That first quarter was a bit rubbish and you looked at it and on the sidelines there was a couple of people that sort of made comments and they just were like, wow, wow, this side is just too good. Um, and they were in the second quarter, they, they boosted, they had turnover after turnover, um, they put pressure on their shooters. And then jesse, jesse barnes and sophie atkinson, they were just on song if it wasn't for, if it wasn't jesse barnes, it was so, so for shooting them from from a long way out. And then, um, you know, getting jess involved and she was just the man in that ball. Um, and if they, if they didn't get it in the first time, the both of them were just hungry for the rebound. Yeah, it was probably.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it was good netball to watch and I think it blew Moela out of the water a bit. I think they were a bit shell-shocked, they really didn't know, and the score at halftime reflected that. So the score at halftime, rambalara were 35 to Moela 13. Moela was 11. At quarter time they only scored two goals that quarter where Rambalara scored what 17 goals. So 17 to 2 in that second quarter to come into half time with a commanding lead of like 22 goals.
Speaker 1:
Um, it's just. Yeah, it was a phenomenal quarter from Rambalara. And you were, you were sitting there thinking, okay, this is going to be an absolute smashing. This is going to be. You know, scores are going to be phenomenal here. They've been shooting above 70 for the last two to three weeks, rumballara and Rumballara. They were probably thinking, yep, this is it.
Speaker 1:
But that third quarter it sort of started to change a bit. Yeah, moela came out, they changed up their shooting, so they had a different shooter come in and she was just, yeah, really, really on song and it sort of, yeah, rumbler, I think because of their lack of rolling subs, it really, yeah, they couldn't capitalize. They were getting stuck. They were clogging that midcourt Like, yeah, your wing attack and your center were in the one spot, and then Jess is trying to come out in that goal attack position and or and goal shooter position, and, and she sort of started to notice that, and so did soph. So they started to have to come out, um, and move a bit more, because you're looking at mim, who's just finished playing a full game of b-grade, you know. And they started bringing Dejora on. So Dejora was coming on and she was, you know, playing. You know Lani would come off and then Dejora would come on and wing attack.
Speaker 1:
So they were trying to change a lot of things up Rambalara because Moala was starting to get on top. They were starting to get on top and, as I said, you would think after the second quarter that Romuara was just going to be on song and they were just going to smash it. But you know, moala are a good side and all good sides will come back. It don't matter, all good sides will come back. So, yeah, so that third quarter Moala came out and, yeah, they played some very, very good netball across the board. Their midcourt was playing some good netball, so they were sort of getting on top.
Speaker 1:
As I said, poor Sarah, she was playing center on her own. She didn't even have a rolling sub, she couldn't come off. So she was gassed. She was just, yeah, they weren't it's hard to say they weren't just hanging on Rumbler, it's hard to say they weren't just hanging on Rumbler. But you could tell the lack of personnel and the lack of that speed in the midcourt was starting to take its toll. And yeah, moela's seen that and they started to capitalize. Chowder and Jess were busting their ass in that defensive circle. Jess and Soph were busting their ass. But Moela did a few changes and they changed some personnel up in that midcourt and it sort of worked for them. They started to get on top.
Speaker 1:
So three-quarter time come along. Rambalara shot 14 to Moela's 11. So you would pretty much say it was even-even. So three-quarter time score was 49 to 24. So you're looking at 25 goal. Um lead. Yeah, that's a game over, but it should have been more for rumbler like, and I only have 49 goals at three-quarter time. Um, there was no way, unless something magical happened, there was no way that they were going to get their 70 goals for the game. And they've been striving for that for the last three, four weeks.
Speaker 1:
So the last quarter came on and Jessie Bamblett come off because she had a bit of a sore thigh. So they changed the sort of things up a bit. So Mim went into goal defense, tiana went to goalkeeper. Poor old Sarah, she still was still playing center. She just, yeah, she couldn't get no relief because the rumble had no one else on. Miri will come on. She played wing attack and just her run and her drive. She was just so eager and I know in the B-grade game she turned around and said some people on the bench, she was that excited to play A-grade and you can see it, when she came on, her energy was sort of lifting rumballara.
Speaker 1:
Um, you know, they were starting to wean a bit. You know, way a bit they were just, yeah, no, you can tell I was starting to get tired because it just wasn't a lot of um rotations, as I said, jesse bamblett come off. So tiana had to work with me never worked with them, you know, they never worked together before in the circle and it sort of broke down a bit. You know, moela were able to get some easy goals and, um, whatnot. And then you know, jess Barnes went back to goal shoot, or actually she stole the goal, attack, um, and she was just busting her ass, soph was busting her ass and, yeah, you felt like, you know, malwala were getting on top. Now, yeah, you look at it and you think, if it wasn't for that start that Rambalara had, oh, you know, maybe Malwala would be even, which I think they would have been I think it would have been a more tighter game if Rumble had not had that start, if they had not had that second quarter. You know you're looking at 17 goals to two. So they shot 15 goals more. So you take that 15 goals off. You know it was a very close game. But in saying that, though, as I said, rumble has personnel. They were lacking personnel. The bye next week hasn't. It's come at a great time for them because, yeah, they're a little bit sore. I think I said that a couple of weeks ago, yeah, and when they come back off the bye they will have Madika back, so that'll help Sarah in that center. I think you'll have Kai back and you'll have Lani there as well. So it's pretty much set. The only girl that's going to be missing is Emily, because she'll still be overseas, and it's good to get this out of the way early, because it gels them back together at the end of the season.
Speaker 1:
So that fourth quarter it was just a slog. It was goal for goal Moala had come up. Goal for goal Moala had come up. Goal for goal Rumba had come up. It wasn't really. It was like they were playing through the motions, like, as I said, it was 24 goals or 25 goals at three-quarter time. You get a goal a minute, 15 minutes, but you really have to get goals after goals but try and stop the opposition from getting goals. And you know Moela wasn't going to do that with Rumba. So the game was pretty much over. But you know, to Moela's credit, they came out and still fought. They still fought to the end of the game. They were tenacious to the end of the game.
Speaker 1:
It got a bit physical, I'm not going to lie. In the last quarter it did get physical. You know, tiana has goal defense. She likes that physicality, so her and the goal attack were sort of going at it a bit. So, yeah, and they were getting a little bit physical in the mid-quarter as well. Whether that was just to try and upset Rambalara I really don't know.
Speaker 1:
But, um, but yeah, that last quarter was just a slog. You can tell it in the faces of the girls at each side, each side, like Rambalara and Moela. It was just a slog. They were just, um, yeah, just slogging it out, just really, really. It just wasn't going nowhere. The quarter wasn't going nowhere, it was just bang goal, bang goal, bang goal, bang goal.
Speaker 1:
Anyway, end of the game, rambalara came up trumps again. So they shot 61. So they were nine goals short of their target of 70. And that's their goal, that they spoke about it that they want to get 70 goals. If they can get 70 goals a game, um, that's just monstrous. You know, against quality size, like, yeah, they shot 74 against tonga last week. So against quality size, so they're nine goals short of that. So you can't see, yeah, it's not nothing to sneeze at. Yeah, they shot 61 goals, but, um, moela shot 38 for the game and that last quarter they actually won that last quarter Moela won the last quarter they were. So they shot 14 goals to 12. Um, so they, they won the quarter by two goals.
Speaker 1:
So, as I said, it was a slog. Um, it started to get a little bit physical. So rumbrolara, uh, have gone seven and zip. Now, um, after the game, like, yeah, they're trying to keep a lid on it. But, um, jesse bamblett, she goes and plays football on a sunday, and so does tiana and pretty much, uh, they made a pact right there and then after the game that no more football concentrate because they've got a belief that they can win the premiership this year. You know they're undefeated at the moment.
Speaker 1:
Maybe Nathalia was going to be the one, but they got beaten by Moema yesterday. So you're probably looking at, the three big clubs would be Rumballara, tongale and Moema, and then you've got the clubs below them. They Finlay had a really good win yesterday. They shot 60 goals, with Chelsea McDonald in that circle. So that's going to be an interesting game when Rumballara play Finlay, because Tiana Steele and Chelsea McDonald had played with each other at um Swan, so did Soph, so that's going to be an interesting game. And that that brings me. So at the end of the game, yeah, rumbelara undefeated 61 to 38.
Speaker 1:
Um, it was a hard fought game, you know, even though the score yeah, what is that? That's um 22 goals. So even though the score doesn't, yeah, it's 22 goals. And you can say, oh geez, that's a shellacking.
Speaker 1:
It was a hard slog for Rumble R yesterday. It was a hard slog because of the personnel, or lack of personnel, they had. Um, yeah, they, they, they didn't struggle, they were, they were on top all the time and they knew that they were on top all the time. But, yeah, it knew that they were on top all the time. But yeah, it just makes it hard when you haven't got all your players, especially after last week. And I think, honestly, last week's win sort of took a lot out of them. Yeah, even though they won by 29 goals, it took a lot out of the girls, because I think that adrenaline. They knew that this was the top side, this is a reigning premier, and when they won it, they sort of yeah, sort of took a bit out of them.
Speaker 1:
Um, so, as I said, the boy comes up, um, yeah, next week. So everyone's got the week off because of interleague. Um, so, yeah, with the ladder. Um, so rumba on top. But moela, yeah, as I, as I said, they're sitting middle. They are sitting middle now. So they were, as I said, they played in the grand final last year, but they're sitting seventh with 12 points. So they've had three wins, so they're sitting seventh, so they're outside. They're actually outside the six after that loss yesterday. So for Moela, yeah, they've got a little bit of work to do.
Speaker 1:
Um, so, with Rumballaro, though, they go into the boy undefeated, um, the girls will rest up. They'll get Madika back, and it's a good thing because, uh, emily, yeah, she's away for four or five weeks, so pretty much two weeks has already been done. Uh, they've got Cobram next week. Um, now, that's not gonna be Cobram in two weeks time because of the boy. That's not going to be an easy beat. Um, cobram are sitting on the bottom of the ladder, or near near about bottom. But um, yeah, as I said in one of my other podcasts, now the Rumballara, they're going to be the targeted one, they're going to be the ones that clubs are going to want to get to um. So they play Tonga, uh, play Cobram in two weeks time. Um and Cobham, well, they're actually eighth, so they're actually one behind Moela and they're on 10 points because I think they had a draw. So it's going to be interesting. It's going to be interesting.
Speaker 1:
And the next four games for Rumballara, as I said, emily is off. I think she's got another two weeks or maybe three weeks. So you've got the boy and then two games. So pretty much the next four games for Rumballara are Cobram. Then they play Newmarket.
Speaker 1:
I want to just touch on this, the draw. I want to touch on the draw for a minute because I think the draw I don't know who the hell looks at this draw. I don't understand why clubs just don't play each other once and then, whatever the draw is after you've played each other once, so be it. But, as I said, in two weeks' time they play Cobham. Rumble are a play Cobham, but then they go back to playing Yumerka. They played Yumer numerical round one. They haven't played nathalia or baruga yet, or even finley, but they go back to playing numerical.
Speaker 1:
I don't, I don't understand it. I don't understand how the draw works. I mean, play every club once and then look at your last five or six games and go, okay, let's do this, let's do that, but yeah, you're playing Yumerka twice before. You haven't played one club once. I just think it's bullshit, I think it's stupid. But yeah, as I said, the next four games for Rambalara is Cobram, yumerka another big game. But they had a loss yesterday. They had a big loss yesterday against Moema with Nathaya, and they recruited well Nathaya. So I'm not sure really what's going on.
Speaker 1:
I know Georgie Warpole did an ACL, so she's out for the year. She's a great shooter. She played at United with Jessie Barnes, so Jessie Barnes knows exactly how she plays and so she's got a sister there. They picked up, uh, rebecca bond. I think she's a b grade or b res player that marupna, so she's there. So she's a tall shooter.
Speaker 1:
Um, you got ever reliable ash khan. Um, you know ash allen, so she played at shep for a long, long time in that defensive. I remember watching Ash Kahn play with Morgan Chambers, so Morgan Chambers. She used to play in the defensive circle with Ash Kahn and they were very, very good. You've got Toddy Jacinda Todd, well-known netballer in the GVL. She played on that wing attack or that wing defensive position with Shepparton for a long, long time because Tracy Breton was their coach. So you've also got Tracy Breton as a coach. Blizz Cara Blizzard she hasn't come on. I'm not sure whether she's going to play this year.
Speaker 1:
So they sort of got hit by a few injuries at the start of the year. But they did recruit and for all I've been told they recruited well Nathalia. But they're mid-level too. They're midfield in the ladder as well and, as I said, they had a damning loss yesterday against Moama. I think Moama shot 60 goals against them, 60 to 24 or something like that. So it was a yeah, it was a shellacking. So, but that's not to say that Nathalia are not a good side. They have got some talent. It's just a matter of when they gel.
Speaker 1:
So, as I said, rumbelara have Cobram Yumerka, which I don't understand. They front up against Nathalia, which will be another game, which will be another hard, hard game, and I think Rumble are a look at these games and they're trying to tick them off. So they ticked off Moama, hard game. Ticked off tiny premiership favourites, premiership reigning premiers. They ticked off Denny which Denny's sort of lagging behind a bit now Moala other grand finalists from last year. So they've ticked them off.
Speaker 1:
I think the next club is Nathalia that they'd want to tick off and say, yep, I think if they beat Nathalia, I don't think Rumbola will go undefeated this year. I don't think I think Moema might have a say to that, or I think Tongala yeah, I'll preview that game later on, but that's going to be a massive game. Last game of the round Tongala, rumballara, at home to Rumballara. But yeah, so the next four games for Rumballara is Cobram, yumerka, nathalia, and then they come up against Baruga, baruga's sitting on the bottom of the ladder, and it's one thing that Rumba have said that they really want to stamp their authority on these sides because they want their percentage high, because you just don't know. You don't know whether injuries are going to happen, you don't know whether they lose a game, drop two games or whatever, and then, yeah, they've got no percentage. So the next four games is going to be interesting for them.
Speaker 1:
As I said, they've got the bye. Next week They'll have Medica back and then Emily back. Once they get their full side, they're going to be unstoppable. I don't think, as I said, they'll go undefeated, but they will be unstoppable to a point. And yesterday's game, yeah, it was different, it was very, very different. Yeah, personnel-wise, I'd say, was part of the reason, but again, rumballara were able to find a way. They're undefeated at the moment. They're talking, they're not talking premises, but they're talking. Hey, we've got a good chance here. Let's really so. They've made a pact yesterday that that's what they want to do. So, yeah, so next week I will probably go just review the last six games, how Rumble are have gone.
Speaker 1:
I think I did that two weeks ago when I had a boy. Again, I don't understand the roster, the draw. I just I really don't understand it Playing teams twice before you even play teams once. I have, who knows, I don't know, I have no idea about it, but um, yeah, so that's me, brett.
Speaker 1:
Uh, with the review of yesterday's game, mawaila lines against rumballara, rumballara come out top 61 to 38. Um, scrappy game. Yeah, that second quarter for Rumbelara, if they can produce that every week, every quarter, four quarters, wowee. Yeah, they just absolutely stopped Moela in their tracks yesterday. It was good to watch that second quarter. The rest of the game, yeah, a bit scrappy, yeah, a bit. Yeah, it was hard to explain, but Rumbelara got the chocolates. They come out winners bye next week and then they head down over to Cobram to play Cobram and then back to Nurmurka, nathalia and then Baruga. So that's the next four games. So anyway, thank you for listening. I really appreciate it. I'm just doing this just for fun, just getting it out there, hoping people listen, following the Rumbler Netball Club's A-grade side this year, because it's looking very exciting for them and, you know, I think they can go all the way. It's just a matter of getting the personnel on the field, on the court and going from there. So that is me, brett. Thank you again for listening. I'm out. Have a great week.
