Jets fight back in dying seconds to draw with Roar at 46

An intense and physical contest at Eaton Recreation Centre ended in a dramatic fashion when the ECU Souwest Jets came from behind to draw with Western Roar 46-all. The Jets, who held second place on the ladder, hosted the third-placed Roar in round 11 of WANL competition on Saturday with both teams eager to obtain a win to consolidate their finals berth. From the outset, both teams were putting the pressure on but accurate shots on goal by Giselle Taylor gave the Jets the early lead. That lead was backed up by strong defence from Ruth Aryang and Brooke O’Connor while Riley Culnane applied great pressure in the wings. The match-up soon became physical as the Roar fought back, taking the lead for a moment until the Jets rallied to bring the scores level at 10 apiece at quarter-time. In the second quarter, the Jets built on the late flurry of goals to take the lead back with quick driving from Ella Eastaugh and Elyce Webb. However, disaster struck when an awkward landing saw Eastaugh’s knee buckle, causing her excruciating pain as she was taken off the court. With their starting centre out for the afternoon, the Jets seemed to feel flat as the Roar began to capitalise and gain a lead. Despite their best efforts to fight back, the Jets trailed the Roar 27-19 at half-time. After a team pep talk around Eastaugh, the Jets returned to the court looking to make a comeback. Accurate shots on goal by Brooke Gibson gave the Jets hope and Webb rose to the occasion as centre. Despite a promising third quarter effort, the Jets trailed by seven points at the final change. The final quarter saw a determined Jets outfit look to make one last shot at a comeback with both teams matching each other goal for goal early. However, several errors by Roar gave the Jets the opportunity they needed to pull through as the contest came down to the wire. With spectators on the edge of their seats, the Jets managed to come back from seven points down to take a very narrow lead in the dying seconds of the match. However, the cheers from the home crowd were hushed by a last-gasp goal for the Roar to draw the contest.