Ravens swoop on Lions in round one of SWNFL

The Blackwood Ravens have had a dream start to their run in the South West Netball Football League’s top division after a tough round one win over the HBL Lions. It was a physical battle between the two sides at the Bridgetown Leisure Centre on Saturday, with neither side able to take a significant lead throughout. Ravens led for the majority of the match but a second half surge from the Lions saw them behind by just a three-point margin heading into the final term. The pressure was high with both teams making some huge defensive plays in the dying minutes but the Ravens were able to finish on top by two points. Ravens coach Rae Stewart said it was an impressive win considering her side was missing senior players. “We’re really happy with the start,” she said. “The girls have only trained together a few times because of where they all come from, we have a few players away so it was really, really impressive that we could do it with fill-ins and the girls coming up from other age groups.” Stewart said it was her team’s ability to stay calm under pressure which helped them secure the win. “Just fighting spirit, that’s all I can say really,” she said. “They just kept on going, they never got rattled on court and they just kept playing hard. “They calmed down when they needed to calm down and worked it hard into our circle so it was good.” This is the first year the Ravens have competed in the league grade after starting out in the 18 and under division in 2015, introducing a 16 and under team in 2018 and winning multiple premierships in both grades. The Ravens’ two younger sides also notched wins on the day, with the 18 and under team putting up a monster 76 points to the Lions’ 28. In the other league grade games, Bunbury took down South Bunbury confidently 59-41, while Eaton defeated Busselton 50-44.