MNL wrap

Katandra coach Michelle McKay was proud of her troops for sticking at it during a tough campaign.

‘‘We have had quality netball in us from round one,’’ McKay said.

‘‘We have pushed other top sides and been in games, but haven’t been able to keep pushing or keep our heads up.

‘‘The self belief and pressure we place on ourselves has been our downfall, it has affected our past performances, (but) yesterday’s game reflected none of what’s been holding us back.

‘‘We almost had a clear run from negative turnovers and errors that we tend to bring into games when we are chasing that win.’’

The Kats were out of the blocks quickly against the Blues and never looked back, with some nerves only creeping in late in the contest as the prospect of a maiden victory became a reality.

Stellar performances permeated the clash for the victors, with Bree Dudgeon, Brooke Maples, Abbey Monk, Maddi Simmons, Kirsten Lyons, Briar Rodaughan and Chelsea Batey all earning McKay’s praise.

‘‘We know what we have to do to be competitive to secure more wins,’’ McKay said.

‘‘The more you put in, the more you get out and that motto at training is often repeated as well as take the pressure out of the game.

‘‘Hopefully we have done that, (and it) was a great day for the club having both senior sides taking the win on the netball court and footy ground.’’

●Congupna snared a big scalp to highlight the rest of the round.

The Road knocked off Cobram 43-38 to give themselves every chance of qualifying for the post-season.

Finley’s 53-33 win against Tungamah also means the Cats should be a major player come September, even though they face four of the top five teams in their remaining five fixtures.

Barooga’s 40-37 triumph against Nathalia keeps the finals door ajar for the Hawks, while Mulwala is teetering on the edge of the top eight after a 68-33 defeat at the hands of rampant Rumbalara.

Other results had Echuca United reigning supreme against Deniliquin 52-33 and Moama engineering a 63-20 win against Tongala.