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After 60 minutes of regular play, the Northern Hawks and Cavaliers were unable to be split, tied 53-all at the Silverdome.
Losing captain Danni Pickett to an apparent knee injury in the opening minutes, the Hawks trailed by as much as nine points in the second term before equaling the margin after the break.
The Cavaliers led at the three breaks before the Hawks came back in the last, with plenty of twists and turns ensuring the derby was all tied up in front of a vocal Silverdome crowd who rode every bump.
Coming into the contest the Hawks had won the past four Northern derbies as a part of their 22-match winning streak, which is now technically over.
Their unbeaten run still continues, with their last loss coming at the hands of the Cavs in the 2019 grand final.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
The first quarter saw the Cavs hit the break with a one-goal advantage, holding a lead as big as three at one point but the Hawks pegged it back, with only a last-second shot proving the difference.
A change of ends didn't change the fortunes, with the Cavs piling on four unanswered goals before later extending the lead to 25-16 half way through the term.
Momentum swung back towards the Hawks with five consecutive late goals but the Cavs sank the final two to make the score 32-26.
The Hawks wouldn't go away, shooting the first six of the second half to even things up and flex their premiership muscle.
The back-and-forth contest ensued from there, with the Cavs bringing the game back on their terms - leading by three points at the final break.
The Hawks evened it up three-and-a-half minutes in, hitting and doubling the lead with the next two scores to lead 46-44.
But from there it was the Cavaliers who wouldn't go away as the the sides battled it out in an instant Tasmanian Netball League classic that will go down as one of the greats.
Late in the game, the Hawks had another injury scare with Lydia Coote helped from the court as they managed to salvage a draw, a result that pleased coach Kellie Woolnough.
"It was a very tough battle but at the end of the day, I think the Hawks girls stood up really well, started using their speed and were able to catch up the deficit of the first half which is what I'm extremely proud of," she said.
"It's very good that when we got challenged and pushed we rose to the occasion and I think the girls should be extremely proud of themselves to walk away with two points and a tie."
Woolnough credited the work of Kendall Jones and Ashlea Mawer in captain Pickett's absence as well as Gemma Poke, Tessa Coote and Lauren Spencer.
Opposing coach Dannie Carstens was impressed with her defensive unit Estelle Margetts, Bec Hyland and Shannae Heazlewood as the Cavs completed a 21-goal turnaround from their previous match-up.
"We know playing an outfit like the Hawks who have cemented themselves as the number one in the competition at the moment that it is going to be a bit more of a 'it's all about the journey rather than the destination'," Carstens said.
"So whilst it's disappointing to go through that whole game and get a draw, we've got some great lessons that we've certainly learned in our attacking and defensive game and we will be honing in on those as we lead up to the last time we play them later in the year."
Putting the pulsating derby behind them, the Cavaliers face Devon at the Silverdome next week while the Hawks are given an extra week to rest their sore bodies.