Merrigum’s young but enthusiastic A-grade netball side notched an impressive second win of 2025 against Longwood among other exciting Kyabram District League round six action.
Merrigum v Longwood
The Bulldogs had a triumphant return to the winners column in round six, with a few young guns shining in the contest.
Leading for the majority of the contest, Merrigum tallied a 10-goal victory over the Redlegs, who have still yet to win a game this season.
The final score was 44 to 34.
Merrigum coach Blynda Tranter reflected on the game and despite the Bulldogs not putting on their most cohesive performance, were able to string together a victory thanks to the help of some promising youngsters.
“We probably didn’t play our best game despite winning by 10 goals, we were just a bit inconsistent through the four quarters,” she said.
“Credit to Longwood, they’re a better side this season than what they have been in a long time, which is great for them.
“We definitely had some brilliant passages of play through our midcourt, one of our young guns, Rayaa Elrayah was brilliant for us.
“We were lucky enough to put one of our B-grade players, Nicole Doherty, in goals and play A-grade for the first time, it was really nice to see her up at the top level.
“She (Nicole) was wonderful, she played a full B-grade game and then played three quarters in A-grade against physical Longwood defenders, and she stood up to the challenge.”
Tranter also said that while her side was young that her girls had found a solid connection and played well together outlined some things the team would be addressing in the weeks ahead.
“We dropped a couple of games early on against Lancaster and Stanhope that we could’ve won, but we are a really young and new side, our oldest player is roughly 25, but we are building together really nicely,” she said.
“We are getting great numbers at training and there are a couple of girls who are new to the club and have slotted in well.
“The main thing that we have been working on is consistency with our court structure and getting our skills right under pressure.
“We are definitely improving our ability to put in four quarters of good netball across the whole game, instead of just one or two periods of play.
“Longwood ended up getting quite close to taking the lead, but for our young girls to stay calm and show a bit of maturity was great to see and the reason we ended up winning the game.”
The Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them when they return home to face a surging Rushworth side in round seven.
Rushworth v Murchison-Toolamba
Speaking of Rushworth, the Tigers got their third win on the spin against the Grasshoppers in round six.
Rushworth has cracked a rich vein of form recently as Sheree Starling’s unit is beginning to put it all together as we approach the halfway point of the season.
The Tigers put together a solid fourth quarter performance to take down Murch, which is hovering at the bottom of the table, by 22 goals.
The final score was 49 -27.
Girgarre v Shepparton East
It was a battle of heavyweights in round six as the final two undefeated sides, Girgarre and Shepparton East duked it out in a thrilling contest at Central Park Recreation Reserve.
In a battle that came down to the wire, the Eagles managed to fly highest and take down the defending premier buy a slim three-goal margin.
The final score was 34-37.
The tight loss could serve as an early 2025 grand final preview, but it shouldn’t faze the Kangaroos, who will have a good opportunity to slide back into the winners column against Violet Town in round seven.
Lancaster v Violet Town
The 2024 runners-up had a tough time of it against the Towners, being downed relatively convincingly at Violet Town Recreation Reserve.
It continues a slump of form for the Wombats, with the side having two wins this season in a sharp downturn from last season’s brilliance.
The final score was 27-44.
The Wombats have an ideal opportunity to get back on the board in round seven when they host current wooden-spooner Longwood.