Hopes of a Parkes Panthers victory were snuffed out in the final minutes of their Round 3 clash with the Dubbo Demons at North Parkes Oval on Saturday, despite a tremendous performance during the first half.
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The Panthers used the wind direction to their advantage in the first and third quarters and constantly maintained a lead over the Demons, with Aaron Halls shining brightly of the field, scoring two goals, alongside Branden Clinton, while Coach, Mitchell Stubberfield and Young’s Kai Frame booted one goal each.
The Panthers continued to lead into the final quarter 51-37, not just thanks to several goals, but a consistent number of behinds, allowing a strong points gap to develop. However the Demons pulled off a massive comeback in the fourth quarter to take the game 8.9-57 to 6.15-51, scoring in the final minutes of the match.
While the mood among the Panthers players afterwards was one of frustration, Stubberfield told the boys that they’re so close for a win and it’s only a matter of time before the Panthers emerge victorious.
The determined Panthers face Orange Tigers next Saturday at North Parkes for Round 6. In the other Round 5 Senior Games, the Bathurst Giants remain on top of the ladder, with a 14.8-92 to 11.4-80 win over the Outlaws, but the game between the Orange Tigers and Bathurst Rebels was postponed.
-by Daniel Pizarro
Pantherettes Overcome by Demons
The day dawned windy last Saturday as Parkes Pantherettes took on Dubbo Demons at their home ground. The defenders were immediately under the pump as the Demons were furiously coming out of the midfield and into the forward 50. In less than 30 seconds the Demons had booted a goal, with wind a major factor, carrying the ball further.
Recently married Renee Massurit was back for her first match of the season, in defensive position Back Pocket, providing that much needed support to the backline that consisted of Ashley Rosser, Amber Lestrange and Danielle Merlino. Constant peppering of the ball inside the 50, the Dubbo Demons kept piling on the points to which they scored five goals and six behinds for the first quarter.
Trailing by 36 the Pantherettes changed a few key positions to try and stop the scoring. Fill in coach Branden Clinton was thrilled with the second quarter effort, with the Pantherettes keeping Dubbo to 3 goals. The main aim became to put some points on the scoreboard themselves and to keep encouraging one another, unfortunately the Panthers were held scoreless.
At the start of the third quarter Pantherettes were down by 54 points, midfielder Nicole Knox had done a lot of hard gut running all over the ground, as well as taking on the challenges of the soggy centre square. As the quarter went on more one on one contests were occurring, with Parkes winning the ball more often and getting some runs up the forward line.
As the final quarter began Maddi Parr went in for tackle after tackle and never let up, giving the Pantherettes more determination to keep going and push through until the final siren went. Players’ player for the match, Korine Coleman, was putting in the hard yards in both the backs and forward line to keep Dubbo honest.
Dubbo managed to add more points onto their tally with two goals and six behinds in the last quarter. Coach Clinton praised "We are improving every week and starting to create a strong brand of contested footy." The umpire of the match stated that the scoreboard didn't reflect on how well the Pantherettes played, with every ball contested.
Final score Dubbo 13.13-91 defeated Parkes 0.0-0. Pantherettes take on the Orange Tigers this weekend at Northparkes Oval, 12.30pm.
-by Korine Coleman