Bats scrap to tight wins on court, but outclassed on field

The slippery conditions made every possession count, but the girls stayed composed under pressure and worked tirelessly for each other to grind out an important win.

Molly Doidge was outstanding across the court, earning Best on Court honours with a commanding performance, while Liv Dalton was influential all game and Kylie Relf continued to provide her usual strong presence in another determined team effort.

Score: Goorambat 25 def Bright 23

Awards: Molly Doidge - Riverbank Cash Award Best on Court, Olivia Dalton - Goorambat Railway Hotel Award, Kylie Relf - Early bird Voucher

B grade

Saturday’s game against Bright was a thriller, as the Bats clawed back from seven goals behind to take the game out by one goal.

Every single one of the B grade team fought hard to get back into the game, defenders Lacey Carter, Georgia Thomson and Kelsey Moss shutting down Bright’s shooters and creating crucial turnovers with their clean hands.

Tiffany Osborne played her best game of the season in her new position of wing defence with crucial movement through the midcourt and out of defence. Pocket rocket Mya Bye ran tirelessly in the midcourt against a mature Bright centre, along with Amelia Gall, who provided accurate feeds into our shooters in what was a very physical game.

Shooters Alison Ellis, Poppy Broomhall and Chelsea Bamford had to work hard in the shooting ring to get free of a tough Bright defence and heavy rain in the last quarter.

This team never give up and they fight hard every week to keep themselves in finals contention.

Score: Goorambat 30 def Bright 29

Awards: Tiffany Osborne - G & S Gall Cash Award Best on Court, Chelsea Bamford - Goorambat Railway Hotel Award, Georgia Thomson - Amelia Kate Hair

B Reserve

Goorambat B Reserve travelled to take on the competition’s top side, Bright, on Saturday, with the experienced home team proving too strong for the Bats in a 26-77 result.

Despite the scoreboard, Goorambat never stopped competing and continued to work hard throughout all four quarters. Bright’s years of experience and polished teamwork were evident, but the visitors showed plenty of determination and fought the game out until the final whistle.

The match provided another valuable learning opportunity as the young Goorambat side continues to develop and gain confidence each week.

Best on court honours went to Tay Dempster, whose relentless effort and determination never wavered. Kobi McDonald earned second best with another strong performance, while Abby Hammond was named third best after working tirelessly across the court.

Score: Goorambat 26 def by Bright 77

Awards: Taylor Dempster - Muscle Mend Cash Award Best on Court, Kobi McDonald - Thursday Night Club Dinner, Abby Hammond - Early Bird Voucher

Under 17s

Score: Goorambat 23 def by Bright 48

Under 15s

Goorambat’s under-15s had an early start this week as they travelled to Bright, putting together some great passages of play but ultimately falling short. Despite strong court flow throughout the game, a slow start and some small errors allowed Bright to build an early lead.

Best on court went to Ava Hayes, who was outstanding in defence with some excellent intercepts and strong rebounds. Chloe Culhane had another consistent game, using smart footwork to transition the ball down the court before finishing accurately in the ring. Through the midcourt, Tilly DeFazio showed great game awareness, displaying patience with the ball and delivering smart passes into the shooters.

There were plenty of positives to take from the match, with the team now looking to focus on the basics and build consistency across all four quarters.

Score: Goorambat 19 def by Bright 36

Awards: Ava Hayes - Hammond Family Cash Award Best On Court, Chloe Culhane - Amelia Kate Hair, Tilly DeFazio - Sportspower

Football

Seniors

As the seniors ran out against Bright on Saturday, the rain settled in, with the conditions changing very quickly from that of the reserves game.

It was a promising start for our boys with plenty of fast, attacking football, and those efforts soon paid off with Jamie Dunne snagging the first goal of the day on the run.

Bright then had its turn to impact the scoreboard but could only do so with behinds, although this wasn’t the case for long. Bright kicked its first major and started to put space between the two sides in the wet, greasy conditions, and the Bats didn’t have the answers, with Bright proving to be to strong and running away with the game.

Ryan Burns was determined as ever battling all day, while Hunter Carter again continued his great form in defence showing that one day he’ll be the key to the Bats defence, well done Hunter.

Desi O’Kane was playing as if it was a dry day, gathering plenty of touches, and Jamie Dunne was leading from the front with effort after effort and earning himself best on ground.

Score: Goorambat 2.4 (16) def by Bright 15.21 (111)

Awards: Peter Davis Rural Best on Ground - Jamie Dunne, Goorambat Railway Hotel - Desi O’Kane, Hollywood’s Pizza - Hunter Carter, Gladstone's Ampol Fuel - Kobe Black, Thursday Night Club Meal - Victor Butler, Royal Hotel - Ryan Burns

Reserves

On Saturday we travelled to Bright and it was the calm before the storm for the reserves match with the weather conditions perfect for the four quarters, however this didn’t help the boys coming up against a much stronger Bright outfit.

The lads gave their all but struggled to impact on the scoreboard. It was great to see Will Cheshire back in the line up after a few weeks out and slotted straight back into his ruck role, while Oskar Weber had his breakthrough game for the season, getting plenty of touches in a performance that he should gain much confidence from.

Both Declan Lawford and Jeremy Hill played a great game with drive out of the backline and run on the wing, and Dylan Barber was fantastic in his multiple roles that he played for his team earning him best on ground.

Score: Goorambat 0.0 (0) def by Bright 26.16 (172)

Awards: Bouwmeester’s Bakery Best on Ground - Jack Trevena, Hollywood’s Pizza - Dylan Barber, Club Drink Voucher - Will Cheshire, Royal Hotel - Jeremy Hill, Bill Bo Pop - Oskar Weber, Sportspower - Declan Lawford