WANL 2022: Curtin Hamersley Comets blitz past Souwest Jets in 11-point victory

There was a sense of deja vu at the Eaton Recreation Centre after the Souwest Jets fell short to the Curtin Hamersley Comets in their first game of the new season, a similar outcome to their season opener against West Coast Warriors last year. The Souwest Jets kicked off their 2022 WANL campaign hosting Comets on Saturday. It was a relatively even start to the match, with solid driving from the Jets mid-courters while the Comets applied strong defensive pressure. Despite defenders Shaye Skraha and Riley Culnane putting in a solid effort, the Comets managed to break through to take the early lead. However, the Jets made sure they were not far behind with consistent shooting from Giselle Taylor. As the match picked up pace, the Comets held on to lead 15-13 at quarter-time. The Comets had a fast start to the second quarter with Aitaua Enari extending their lead with early goals, backing up the quick passing efforts of mid-courters Lindal Rohde and Toni-Marie Smith. However, the Jets were not to be counted out thanks to the strong hustle by Culnane and Elycce Webb along with training partner turned debutant Jen Brown. Although Comets’ Ella Taylor was intercepting the ball at almost every opportunity with her efforts backed up by more goals, things began looking up for the Jets as Lisa Millman took the court to back up Giselle Taylor. At half time, the Comets led 33-22. The Comets continued extending their lead via Sloan Burton during the third term although the Jets continued fighting hard to try and match them. Despite the solid effort, the Comets continued to hold the advantage 50-34 at the final change. A fast start for the Jets seemed to be the catalyst for change during the final quarter as they tried a late comeback attempt with Simone Dalkin stepping up in goals alongside Millman. Defender Brooke O’Connor also put in a solid effort in defence for the Jets in her return from pregnancy. However, the Comets proved just too strong, taking the victory 60-49 with Burton and Enari achieving 26 and 20 goals respectively. Giselle Taylor was the highest scoring shooter for the Jets with 24 goals, followed by Millman with 14 and Dalkin with 10. Meanwhile, the Jets’ 20/U team came agonisingly close to breaking a long-standing losing streak after being edged out by the Comets 51-47. The Jets will host another home game this weekend when they go head to head with the Rangers on Saturday at Eaton Recreation Centre. Head coach Karly Guadagnin said the team was excited to be hosting another home game in front of their families and were looking forward to the next challenge. “We had a great week on the track, had a good review on Monday and then we put our intensity into our training which is great,” she said. “We worked on changing a few things up on the court which we needed to do during the game last weekend. “We just really need to come out on our A-game on Saturday and really focus on us at our best individually and as a group.”