Tiger Sharks win opening match of M1 Netball Super League

SINGAPORE - The Tiger Sharks held off a resurgent Magic Marlins side to win the opening match of this year's M1 Netball Super League (NSL), beating the three-time champions 54-48 at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall on Saturday.

Both teams were neck-and-neck at the start of the first quarter, but the Sharks pulled ahead at 6-6 and never looked back, leading 19-11 at the end of the quarter. They maintained their form over the next 15 minutes, capitalising on their opponents' hesitance to enter the second half up 34-23.

The Marlins ramped up their play in the second half, making shorter and quicker passes to score more goals and narrow the gap to four points in the final quarter. But although they outscored the Sharks 12-9 and 13-11 in the third and fourth quarters respectively, they could not catch up with the latter's early lead.

Said Sharks captain and goal defender Vanessa Lee: "Having played our first game, we roughly know where we stand against the other teams.

"Today Marlins stepped up the intensity in the third and fourth quarters and we got complacent with our game ... so we're definitely looking for consistency throughout all four quarters in our next game."

The NSL ends on April 29.

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