WA Finish Fourth at 21/U Carnival

Western Australia has finished its 2016 21/U National Carnival in fourth place after a narrow defeat in the bronze medal match against Queensland in Launceston.

The WA girls put in a spirited effort in the third place play-off and led by nine goals mid-way through the second quarter but couldn’t sustain the momentum, eventually going down 49-54.

The third quarter proved crucial, with Queensland winning it 19-8 to reverse a quiet first half and establish a match winning lead, crafted through an accurate shooting performance from their GS and GA combination, who both hit over 20 goals.

WA did fightback late to claw within one goal of Queensland but couldn’t quite find the extra gear needed to force a result.

WA head coach Karly Guadignan lamented her side’s inability to capitalise on sustained periods of pressure.

“It was really disappointing today,” Gaudignan said.

“We won the game for three quarters and at critical times we couldn’t make the most of our opportunities.”

Her Queensland counterpart Christine Voge said her side remained calm in the face of Western Australia’s strong start and didn’t lose focus.

“We were very wary of WA but we knew if we played our best game we’d get the win,” she said.

“We knew what WA’s strengths were and we really tried to combat those so (the message) was just to go back to our game plan, not to panic and just keep being settled and composed.

“The third quarter the girls put their foot down. Getting the bronze medal is pretty special to Queensland and this group of girls as well.”

NSW won gold with a thrilling 49-46 win over Victoria to earn its first 21/U title since 2012.

– with Netball Aus and WA