ACT rebounded from a first-up thrashing to edge out Queensland late on the second day of the under-21 national netball titles in Canberra on Wednesday.
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The hosts were no match for a classy Victorian outfit in a hefty 68-34 defeat, but improved markedly in their evening encounter to stave off Queensland 51-46 at the ACT Netball Centre.
The Melinda Clarke-coached ACT had appeared to have made inroads on the opening day on Tuesday when it pushed traditional powerhouse NSW before going down by 11 goals, along with recording a 55-28 victory against Northern Territory.
With one of the smallest talent pools of players to draw on, Clarke is looking for gradual improvement throughout the competition as the ACT aims to improve on its best result of fifth.
''We had two good hitouts yesterday and some patches of really good netball today,'' she said. ''The key is continuing to develop those combinations on-court, so when we get in those pressure situations that they're able to stand up to it.''
Australian under-21 representative Keely Rodrigo has been a standout at goal defence.
''She's been great for us, but she's got a lot of talented teammates around her,'' Clarke said. ''We're looking for all of them to step up and play to their potential.''
The ACT takes on Western Australia on Thursday at 9am.
