It should have been a weekend of celebration for the Eastern netball side.
After all, Gisborne goal shoot Malia Eyles shot 31 goals from 35 attempts during a player-of-the-match performance on debut against Tasman in Blenheim on Saturday. But, instead, coach Jewels Falcon and her troops were reflecting on a 54-53
first-round loss in division two of the Perry Foundation national championship.
"It wasn't just Malia's shooting which gave her player-of-the-match. Her off-the-ball work in the attacking circle was pretty good too," said Falcon.
Coach Falcon had every right to be proud of her team's first-half performance which saw them establish a 33-26 lead.
"Tasman lifted their game in the third quarter and we didn't react," Falcon told SportToday.
"We went into the fourth quarter down by three ... we lost the third quarter by 10 goals," said Falcon.
She couldn't blame her third-quarter substitutions on the loss. They saw Candis Cardie replace Becky Kupa at centre and Petra Van Zoelen replace Amanda Hynes at goal attack.
"Like I said Tasman got better and we didn't react," said Falcon.
Close behind Eyles in the battle for the side's player-of-the-match were experienced defenders Catrina Locke and Raewyn Wilson. While they did all they could in the defensive circle Falcon said there was definitely room for improvement in Eastern's through-court defensive work.
"It was our first-up game and we've done the best we can. I look forward to the next time we play Tasman."
Both sides are likely to meet again in Invercargill this month.
Two of Eastern's 12 players, midcourter Anna Cudby and goal shoot Caitlin Wakley, didn't get any game time. Wakely hadn't recovered from a toe injury and Cudby didn't train with the side last week as she was playing for Central Hawke's Bay College at the lower North Island tournament in Gisborne.
Both are expected to get game time against Waikato in Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena on Saturday.
