The 2017 season kicked off on the 23rd of April with the Sydney Redbacks taking out the first game of the NSW Korfball series 14-9 over the Newcastle Royals.
Both clubs were eager to get back to the second year of the series and Sydney notched up the first win of the nine game series in their hometown. The game was tightly fought, with defence being instrumental in Sydney taking the win by 5 goals. From the first whistle, the Redbacks made life difficult for the Royals by forcing them to take low-percentage shots and stifling their fast-paced offence. On attack Sydney were working with a number of new combinations and were able to capitalise on the years of experience (in Korfball and Basketball) that had joined and returned to the club for the game.
Graham was the top scorer for the Redbacks with six goals while Ben, Daniel and Neha drained two goals each. Joey and Sarah scored one each to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Josh, Nancy and Elise all provided a number of valuable assists that set up some brilliant goals for their teammates. Their defence was spectacular with key Royals players struggling to find open shots and run-ins throughout the game.
There were a number of new players to the Sydney – Newcastle competition with Joey and Josh playing their first game against the fellow NSW club after previous appearances for the Redbacks. Both made stellar debuts with defence that was second to none. The club has gained a number of overseas players with Neha joining from the Cambridge Tigers and Nancy and Anne bringing years of experience from the home of Korfball, The Netherlands.
The next game in the series takes place in Newcastle on the 7th of May, with Sydney looking for back-to-back wins!
Sydney City Redbacks Korfball Club 