OKFNL ǀ Bats flying straight as finals draw near

By James Kleeman

Jul 12, 2022

Smooth mover: Goorambat’s Sally Malay breaks free of the pack. Photo by Brenden Paddock

With just five rounds of the Ovens & King Football Netball League remaining, two consistent Goorambat football and netball outfits are very well-positioned to play finals.

Football

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The Bats’ senior football side sits in fifth with eight wins and three losses on the record.

A hot start this year had the Bats run home winners in their first three encounters, including a five-point boilover win against Bonnie Doon in round three, before an enthralling draw with Greta in round five.

Goorambat then went on to secure a thrilling victory over old foe All Blacks to leave the Bats flying atop the O&K ladder early in the piece.

In his first season at the helm, Bats coach Jared Brennan said his side was looking to regather momentum after a stop-start year.

“It’s been a bit of a funny one, we’ve been there or thereabouts and after a pretty good start there was a game where we drew with Greta then another game abandoned when a player broke his leg,” Brennan said.

In control: James Webb sends it forward. Photo by Brenden Paddock

“We’re going okay, we’ve been good without being exceptional, at times we play to the opposition a bit, we get ourselves up for some games and haven’t really for others, apart from the two times we’ve faced North Wang we haven’t really come prepared for a big win.”

A resounding 87-point defeat last weekend has given Brennan lots to consider as his side continue on its quest for finals footy.

“If we can secure a couple more wins then we’ll secure a finals spot, then go up against the yardstick in Benalla at the end of the season to see where we’re at,” Brennan said.

“We’re looking to build a bit of a feeling, the club’s in a real good position at the minute.”

Over the top: Alexandra Davies goes over her defender. Photo by Brenden Paddock

Netball

The Bats’ A-Grade netball side find themselves in a similar spot to their football counterparts, occupying third spot with nine wins and just the two defeats to show for the year.

A round five defeat to Greta, followed by consecutive draws to All Blacks and Tarrawingee in the following weeks left the side with a bit to do after seven rounds.

Then, a shock defeat to Milawa in round eight put the Bats in a precarious position and at risk of tumbling further down the ladder.

But the Bats haven’t dropped a game since, going on to win the next six straight to surge back up to within the top four.

The run home is a challenging one, the last two fixtures against fellow top six hopefuls All Blacks and Bonnie Doon.

That being said, the side has shown time and time again this year it is capable of mixing it with the competition’s powerhouses, and looks well set to be in the top four conversation in just a few weeks time.