IRYMPLE put the disappointment of a stunning two-goal loss to then winless South Mildura the previous weekend behind them to account for long-time rivals Mildura at the Henshilwood Oval courts on a benign Saturday afternoon.
A fourth-quarter rally in which the Demons pulled within four goals was repelled as the Swallows claimed win No.5 of the season and second place on the A Grade ladder with the 58-49 triumph.
Despite the near final-quarter fade, Irymple had a firm grip on the game from the start, much to the relief of coach Sherrie Geister.
“I think they were all disappointed after last week,” Geister said. “It wasn’t teamwork last week. One person put their head down and it just spiralled out of control.
“They know they can play. They know what they are capable of. They are a very good side … that fourth quarter wobble was a bit of a concern and something we need to eliminate as well but to their credit they managed to compose themselves and ran it out in convincing fashion.”
In a scheduling quirk, Irymple face ladder leaders Wentworth on Saturday which means the top three sides (Wenty, Irymple and Mildura) on the ladder will have all played each other over the past three weeks.
“I just said to the girls don’t go through next week saying, ‘oh, we’ve got Wentworth’. Be excited. We’ve got Wentworth, give it a crack,” she said.
Geister was full of praise for Shelby Trigg, who “shot the lights out in the first three quarters” and Shakara Delcastegne “coming through the middle”.
“But it was a really good team performance and hopefully we will build on that.”
Mildura coach Ellie Vincent was also impressed by the effort her depleted squad put forward despite the loss.
“We had big changes this week with a number of the girls out and that changed the dynamic of the game but we enjoyed the (late) chase and that tested us and opens up those areas for improvement as well,” Vincent said of a team down at least three key players, including Ally Leng and Sharon Watson.
“The best teams are the ones that can have anyone jump on the court and get going and that’s the direction I’d like to go in as well,” she said.
Ava Zadow and Jess McNamara were named among the battling Dees’ best.
