GOL Gol have proven they are a team not to be taken for granted this season, drawing with reigning premiers Bambill on Friday night.
It was a close competition under lights at Carramar Drive, with both teams going goal for goal in an effort to break the deadlock in the last five minutes.
Gol Gol, who finished last season on the bottom of the ladder, came out fighting, ready to prove themselves against the benchmark side. They did, leading at the end of every quarter but the last.
The Hawks began the game by establishing a four-point margin thanks to new shooters Abbey Lovell and Chelsea Henderson, before Bambill managed to get a score on the board.
It took a little while for the Saints, who have some new faces in their A Grade team, to find their flow together.
But when they did, they came back with force and did not let Gol Gol extend their margin any further.
They secured some quick goals through shooters Ebony Roberts and Rebecca Cruise and, by the end of the first quarter, Gol Gol were leading 10-8.
Fishing the second quarter at 20-16 and the third 31-29, the two teams were well matched, with strong defence and attack.
Roberts and Cruise were a strong duo in goals for Bambill, and worked hard to get around Gol Gol defenders Brooke Oosting and Amy Hunt, who applied heavy pressure to try to restrict the Saints’ score.
At the other end of the court, the Saints’ Erin Hird and Tessa Houkamanu were ready to intercept and apply pressure to slow Lovell and Henderson.
Gol Gol coach Sarah Allan said the club had been looking forward to seeing how the girls would come together on the court after pre-season training. She said it was great to see the girls demonstrating “good flow down the court, great communication and level heads”.
“The club as a whole is incredibly proud of our A Grade squad, leading for a substantial part of the game against the reigning premiers,” she said.
“Bambill’s defence was impressive, as was the accuracy of their shooters, and I believe that the end result being a draw is a fair representation of the quality of game played by both teams.”
Bambill A Grade coach Samantha Garraway said the team was happy with the tied result, given half of their players had not yet played together.
She said the draw was something to work with, and take away as a positive.
“Obviously it is a new season, new girls, fresh legs,” she said.
“It is just about getting sorted, getting into each other’s games, and there are a lot of positives to work with.”
Garraway said everyone had played their role well for the Saints, with strong players in all parts of the court.
“We still have Ebony (Stanbrook) coming off last year, controlling the attacking end,” she said.
“Tessa in the defence and again, the midcourt just worked for us.”
Allan said she thought Gol Gol’s shooters had played “beautifully” in goals, as well as players throughout the midcourt and defence.
“Lucy Brown and Jessemy Thornton took some fantastic intercepts in our centre court to keep us in the game and Brooke Oosting and Amy Hunt were exceptional in defence,” she said.
“We will obviously take away some things from tonight’s game and work on them in training during the week.”
On Saturday, in Nangiloc, it was a close match between Cardross and the Demons, with only three points separating the sides.
Nangiloc defeated Cardross 34-31.
The same could not be said for the Werrimull versus Meringur game, with the Magpies bringing home a 27-goal victory over the Roos.
Finishing with a score of 47-20, Werrimull are back and ready to redeem themselves after losing in last year’s finals in straight sets.
