In a battle of fourth vs fifth, the seniors were keen for a good test to see where they stood leading into the second half of the season.
The boys came to play in the first quarter going goal for goal with Milawa. Veteran wingman Ben Reaburn continued his good form, getting plenty of footy and hitting the scoreboard. In the second Milawa controlled the footy, winning the quarter with Goorambat missing some opportunities to hit the scoreboard. Dylan Beavis and Angus Burston worked hard, taking plenty of marks across centre half forward, keeping the Bats in the game.
Coach Ben Wapling gave the boys a much-needed rev-up at half-time, letting the boys know they were playing far from their best footy. The boys came back out in the third kicking four goals to Milawa’s three, putting them back in the game. Josh Heylbut worked hard in and under at every contest, never giving up and constantly beating his man. Ryhs Goodley worked hard all over the ground, clunking some great marks and pushing the boys forward. Brush Haebich continued his good form, slotting four majors ands keeping the boys in the game.
But in the end, after the lapse in the second quarter, it was too little too late as Milawa triumphed on for a five-goal win.
The boys conceded they played far from their best footy and will be keen to have another crack at Milawa at the pointy end of the season. With up to five senior players returning after the King's birthday weekend the boys will be keen to get back on the winners list against Bright in twoweeks’ time.
Goals: Brush Haebich 4, Ben Reaburn 2, Brayden Stepien 1, Dylan Beavis 1, Jamie Dunne 1, Angus Burston 1, Rhys Goodley 1.
Best players: Ben Reaburn, Dylan Beavis, Angus Burston, Josh Heylbut, Brush Haebich, Rhys Goodley.
A-grade
Bats 33, Milawa 60
It was a beautiful winters day at Milawa, where the Bats came out firing from the first whistle. With everyone combining well across the court, the Bats showed the quality of play they are capable of. It was 12 all at the first break, but the Bats started to lose their momentum in the second quarter with little errors creeping into their game.
Michele Button and Kylie Relf worked hard to get the ball against tall defenders all game. Molly Doidge and Amelia Gall took some great physical balls and held strong with great support from Jasmine Martin and Carli Brennan. Ally Ellis had an outstanding game in defence and was well backed by Nikki Wallace and Georgia Thomson. Not the end score we wanted but it was a fantastic game by the whole team. A weekend off to recover and be ready to tackle the second half of the year.
Awards: Best on: Ally Ellis – Royal Hotel. 2nd: Amelia Gall – Madison Jane Hair. 3rd: Kylie Relf – Rambling Rose.
Reserves
Goorambat 0.1 (1)
Milawa 35.10 (220)
The reserves were up for a tough day against a strong in-form Milawa side.
Ravaged by injuries in the previous few weeks, co-coaches Nathan and Gary just asked the boys to bring a lot of pressure and effort from the first bounce.
The boys started well in the first quarter and put lots of pressure on around the centre of the ground. Nathan Delaney worked hard in centre to try and get the Bats forward from the stoppages. It was good to see Jake Duffy back in the side he worked hard at every contest.
By quarter-time, Milawa had kicked eight goals as it showed it was a class above, but the Goorambat side didn’t give up and applied plenty of pressure.
Ever-reliable veteran defender Brenton Doig had plenty of the footy and did well to stem the flow as much as he could. Dan Bryant was good at centre half back and pinch hitting it the ruck, keeping the team positive and pushing the ball forward. Nathan Holmes spoiled plenty of the footy in the backline, adding some much-needed pressure on the Milawa forwards.
Co-captain Sean Lemmer and young winger Declan Lawford ran hard all day and never gave up.
In the end Milawa ran out comfortable winner, showing it is in the top three.
B-grade
Goorambat 20, Milawa 81
The day started with a depleted team, injuries have mounted, and the mid-year slump is here.
The Bats came out with some of their own goals to achieve. In the first quarter, with great defensive movement the sleek Milawa team dominated with accuracy and speed. Second quarter saw the Bats slow the Milawa movement down. Fiona Doig combined with multiple fill-in defenders and adjusted and worked hard all game. The Bats struggled with the intense pressure from Milawa to get some flow into attack. Lisa Johnson moved into mid-court and opened up some flow and allowed the goalers Aneiki Pierce and Olivia Hayes to have some opportunity at goal.
Milawa had the pedal on full throttle to the line. Tiffany Kirkpatrick and Aneiki Pierce moved into some different roles defensively and showed great versatility, creating some great turnovers and movement.
Although the scoreboard was fairly spread it didn’t resemble the game.
Awards: Best on: Tiffany Kirkpatrick — Royal Hotel. 2nd: Aneiki Pierce — Terry White Pharmacy.
B-Reserve
Bats 11, Milawa 81
Unfortunately, B-Reserve went down to a strong Milawa side. Considering Milawa is at the top of the ladder, the team made the game look competitive despite the score. Hannah Coote, Chelsea Cole and Kate Nolan worked tirelessly in defence, trying to figure out how to slow down strong shooters. Ella Woods, as always, moved well in the ring to get as many shots up as she could. She was supported by her teammates in the mid-court, particularly Carissa Parrant, who brought speed and agility in order to get out in front of Milawa’s defenders.
Best on: Ella Woods — Di’s Diamond Cleaning. 2nd: Carissa Parrant — Jenny Milner. 3rd: Hannah Coote — Maccas Knife Sharpening and Mowing Services.
C-grade
Bats 59, Milawa 28
It was a beautiful morning for netball in Milawa for round 10. Milawa came out strong and fast, Molly Martin ran hard to keep up with the attackers and was rewarded with multiple intercepts. While the strong attacking end was tough, defenders Eleanor Renkin and Lacey Carter worked hard all game, getting many turnovers. Matilda Hopkins continues to improve, moving well all game to keep up with the quick Milawa attackers. Poppy Broomhall stood tall and created a space for the quick-moving Sophie Hammond. In Amelia Feldtman’s second game in C-grade, she slotted in perfectly and moved well, providing great drives in the mid-court and feeds into the ring. Charli Button also worked well in the attacking end with great feeding into the ring and lots of defensive pressure down the court. Lots of improvement over the last few weeks, the Bats had great court flow and pressure and were able to come away with the win.
Awards: Best on: Molly Martin — Hume Solar. 2nd: Sophie Hammond — Hume Solar. 3rd: Eleanor Rankin — Sunway. Encouragement award: Amelia Feldtman — Chill Out Smoothie Bar.
Under-15s
Bats 0, Milawa 56
It was a cold and early morning for the girls. Pippa Martin, Indy Stovell, Amelia Keen and Charli Levy played a great game in mid-court, making many great leads and passes. Amali Mackenzie, Amelia Feldtmann and Yolanda Bourke stuck to their players all game, taking some great intercepts throughout the game. Alarna Button and Yolanda Bourke focused on staying in front of their players in the ring and did a great job, coming out of the ring to be an option and keep the ball moving down the court. It was a great game, and they should all be very proud of themselves.
Awards: Best on: Yolanda Bourke — Hume Solar. 2nd: Amelia Keen — Hume Solar. 3rd: Indy Stovell — Sportspower. Encouragement Award: Amali Mackenzie — Spot 4 Icecream.
10°C