By Madeline Irwin
Tarntanya Karntu opened First Nations Round in emphatic fashion thumping the GIANTS to the tune of 33 goals at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The game marked the away side's biggest SSN winning margin.
Tarntanya Karntu outclassed the GIANTS from the get-go with all lines shining no matter their composition on court. All players were used by coach Tania Obst, with Lauren Frew, Georgie Horjus and Latanya Wilson sitting out the end of the match.
For the GIANTS, their bench was emptied out in search of solutions. Matisse Letherbarrow was taken off in favour of youngster Skye Thompson, while Whitney Souness was replaced by Hope White.
16-year-old Eva Carneiro made her debut taking the goal keeper bib to partner with Erin O'Brien.
The game started with small swings of momentum, with a four-goal run for the GIANTS ended with an eight-goal stretch by the visitors.
It was a poor second quarter performance by the GIANTS that shaped the match overall. The five goals scored in that period broke the record for the team's lowest ever score in a quarter.
Their opponents scored a whomping 22 goals in that same stretch.
After the first quarter, the GIANTS' deficits were obvious, their centre pass to goal conversion was down, sitting at just 38 per cent. They were robbed of the ball through the midcourt which meant they were unable to close the gap and gifted their opponents the ball.
The GIANTS had 28 general play turnovers during the game, compared to just 12 from one of the cleanest sides in the competition in Tarntanya Karntu.
A new feature of Tarntanya Karntu's strategy throughout the game was the defensive set-up, with Matilda Garrett making way before the power five for Wilson to pair up with Shamera Sterling-Humphrey inside the circle. The duo excelled against the GIANTS’ attack, notching up a combined six intercepts and four deflections.
Garrett added a game-high seven deflections to their tally.
In attack Elmeré van der Berg was exceptional, shooting 56 from her 64 attempts, racking up 110 Net Points. Horjus, Kayla Graham and Frew added 14 goals to the tally across the contest.
Sophie Dwyer shot her 16 shots at 94 per cent efficiency, while Thompson shot her six goals at 100 per cent.
The GIANTS will look to rebound against the Lightning at UniSC Arena on Saturday, while Tarntanya Karntu will host the Vixens in a blockbuster Sunday fixture.
