By LIAM TWOMEY
FOR the second time this season, VU Western Lightning walked away from the Western Suburbs netball derby empty-handed after being beaten by City West Falcons on Wednesday night. However, the nine goal 48-39 Falcons’ win was a lot closer than it looked on paper.
The Lightning took it up to their more highly-fancied opponents for three quarters, but paid the price for a second term fade-out.
After taking a two-goal lead into the opening break, City West dominated the second quarter and blew the margin out to 10 goals.
There was no coming back for the Lightning who continued to battle hard in the second half.
City West coach Matt Hills said there was a mix of positives and frustration to come out of the match.
“We turned the ball over or we gave them 18 balls in the first half,” Hills said.
“A lot of that was from a combination of poor decision-making or more importantly, poor execution. That really hurt us.
“In the second half we only turned the ball over in that vein nine times.
“I think that shows there are some keys areas to work on. They have now won eight straight and I think we are the first team to hold them to a single-digit margin. There are some positives to come out of that but we have still got some work to do.”
The result continues City West’s dominance over the Victorian Netball League competition.
The Falcons are yet to lose a game and sit on top of the ladder with a perfect 7-0 record.
Meanwhile VU has now slipped outside the top four and holds a 4-3 win loss record.
Teams will get to enjoy a week off before round eight of the season begins next week.
The Lightning will take on Yarra Valley in what is shaping up to be a must-win clash.
“It is a very tight competition between third and eighth so we can’t afford to be losing too many more games as we move forward,” Hills said.
“It is extremely important now. We have got two weeks to work solidly on our line-ups. We can really get working.
“We need to be at our best. They (Yarra Valley) beat us a couple of weeks ago and we need to turn that result around. It is really a must-win game.”
