Pakenham’s poor start has cost it with table-topping Seville putting the Lions away in the Outer East Division 1 A Grade netball second semi-final.
The Blues jumped out to an eight-goal advantage in the opening stages, setting the high-powered unit up to run out to a 47-38 victory at Yarra Glen.
The win books Seville into the grand final, while Pakenham has a second chance in the preliminary final this week.
“We started really poorly and gave them an eight goal lead,” Pakenham head coach Matt Cooke said.
“You can’t give anyone an eight goal lead let alone Seville, they were just simple errors off centre pass and simple errors off basic structure.
“Seville likes to float back into space, they like to come hard up on the body and float back.
“We just didn’t play the way we should against that type of netball.
“They’re (Seville) really talented.”
The Lions weren’t far off the mark after a turbulent start, clawing their way back into the game and getting within striking distance.
However, sub-optimal conversion up front left Pakenham falling short.
“We actually had more scoring shots, but it’s a bit of a hit and miss if you’re asking your athlete to make it from a two-and-a-half metre range,” Cooke said.
“Part of it is where Seville forces you to take your shot from.
“They’re very athletic, they rush at the ball and take the space away.
“It wasn’t poor netball, it just wasn’t the standard necessary to beat a side that finished on top of the ladder twice in the last two years.
“We were right within it in the last five minutes.
“We realised we’ve got to maintain our centre pass and make it accurate.
“We’ve got to make sure we start really well when given the opportunity.”
Star utility and defender Charlize Reid missed the contest with an ankle injury she sustained in last week’s victory over Warburton Millgrove.
At Woori Yallock, the Burras got back to winning ways by edging out Yarra Glen 50-37.
Warburton Millgrove took hold of the contest and led at every change with a 16-goal fourth term effort capping off the result.
Finals got under way in the top flight as Emerald clutched up and eliminated Woori Yallock in the knockout final.
The Bombers showed a tremendous amount of grit and heart, rallying back after falling behind at quarter time and halftime.
A massive 17-9 term in favour of Emerald saw the Bombers snatch the lead in the third and hold a 39-35 advantage at the final change.
From there, Emerald got out to a lead of eight goals in the last, seemingly clinching the result before the Tigers made a final retaliation.
A string of six-straight scores for Woori Yallock cut the deficit back to two and put immense pressure on the Bombers.
But good teams stand up in the face of adversity, and Emerald did exactly that, scoring a winning goal with 10 seconds remaining to advance in the postseason.
Co-captain Mackenzie Fox was superb for the Bombers, while Brodie Smith and Erin Anzin both had massive influence on the victory.
Scoring between the two up front for Emerald was well shared, with Jackie Cutting netting 24 goals and Fox scoring the other 23.
The Bombers will face Monbulk after the Hawks were no match for Wandin with the Bulldogs securing the 65-47 win in the qualifying final.
Wandin dominated from the opening whistle, getting out to an 11-goal buffer at halftime and widening its cushion to 13 at the final break.
The Bulldogs will now head to Healesville to attempt to hand Mount Evelyn its second loss of the season.
The clash between Emerald and Monbulk is on Sunday at Yarra Junction Reserve.
