Aalen Davis started as a key cog in Garville’s attack, connecting purposefully with tall, Ben Clarke at goal attack and 15-year-old ‘wunderkid’ Kruz Wilson at goal shooter. 

Oakdale began to work their attack end through the creativity of the irrepressible Aaron Edmead at goal attack who was well supported by Dion Giaretto at centre and Tyson Gerrie at wing attack. It went goal for goal as Jordan Goggins found his range at goal shooter for Oakdale and Ben Clarke’s strength in the air was hard to counter! Wilson’s accuracy and on court composure belied the fact that he is so young, yet he is unfazed when mixing it with the big boys. He even appears to thrive on the pressure. 

In a tight quarter, Garville forced a few errors in Oakdale's attack with measured full court defence that saw them end the quarter three goals up.

Quarter time scores were Garville 18 to Oakdale 15.

 

The second quarter started with young Lucas Guilin on to wing attack for Oakdale. The seasoned combination of Davis and Saxon Hay saw Garville getting the ball into a scoring position with ease and the strong presence of Ben Clarke in the circle with his deceptively mobility opened up scoring opportunities. Silky smooth Saxon Hay’s driving in attack saw Garville step on the accelerator halfway through this quarter with a run of goals from Clarke and Wilson, aided by increased defensive pressure from Ben Ryan, Corey Haskard and Sam Foster. Garville defenders were forcing errors from Oakdale who perhaps would have benefited from some variation in attack, rather than going like a bullet at every opportunity.

Garville rung many changes but the work of Kruz Wilson in reading space creatively and opening the circle for the feeders to supply him or the impressive and accurate Ben Clarke, had Oakdale defenders somewhat befuddled! 

Half time scores were Garville 37 to Oakdale 27.

 

More changes came from Garville and their use of the high feed to Clarke was outstanding. In the first few minutes Garville scored 6 goals to Oakdale's 1. Saxon Hay continued to supply the attack the flair, his aerial strength an absolute delight to witness. However, Oakdale rallied. 

Their attack end opened up with Giaretto, Edmead and Goggins finding circle space and shooting range. The confidence that Davis and Hay have in the presence of Clarke in the circle was ever so evident when they delivered bullet like passes to him from their attacking transverse line, not once but several times. One must remind defenders that they must keep heads up and feet busy to counter this! 

Oakdale capitalised on Garville’s many changes with a run of goals at the end of the third quarter, which saw them out score Garville 16 to 15.

Three quarter time scores were Garville 52 to Oakdale 43.

 

The final quarter again started with more changes by Garville and this saw a scoring run by Oakdale in the first five or so minutes that looked like a challenge was imminent. However, the potent presence of Ben Clarke as a scoring machine settled his team and then a few crucial misses at goal by Oakdale gave Garville control. 

Aided by the hard work of their defenders, Garville kept the pressure at a premium, making it hard for Oakdale’s goalies to find space to score. A tight quarter with both teams scoring 12 goals each. Oakdale clearly have ‘the goods’ to challenge but would do well to work on consistency and error reduction. I’m sure the experienced and astute coach Trish Warren will have these issues solved!

Final scores were Garville 64 to Oakdale 55.

 

The player that stood out in tonight’s match wasn’t just because he’s a tall boy!.. No, Garville goalie Ben Clarke had an outstanding game tonight. Creative, accurate and surprisingly agile for a tall lad, Ben was a focal point at either goal shooter or goal attack. His ability to create space, to set up opportunities for the young Kruz Wilson and his reading of the attacking play coming to the circle, provided Garville with a rock-solid foundation on which they built tonight’s win.

Ben, a 28-year-old real estate agent, played mixed netball whilst at university. Both basketball and football held Ben’s interest, before he joined the SAMMNA M-League six years ago for one season before returning to basketball. Ben returned to netball two years ago and we should be very glad he did. He was a member of the State Open team that competed in the Nationals in Brisbane earlier this year where he clearly caught the eye of selectors as he was an invitee to the Australian Kelpies camp. 

A versatile goalie, creative and effective at either attack or shooter, Ben is sure to continue to attract the attention of the selectors at the 2025 Nationals in Melbourne. 

However, it is the manner in which Ben supports and allows the younger Garville team members to shine that speaks volumes of his mentoring and passion for the game. A productive season lies ahead for Ben Clarke and I’m sure his young, emerging teammates are ever grateful for his creative capacity, on court leadership and powerful presence.