THE scene of jubilation among the Robinvale Euston players just moments after last year’s SFNL A Grade cellar-dwellers posted only their second win in the past 12 months warmed the hearts of the club faithful on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
The new-look group, who are flourishing under the guidance of new coach Hayley Siddons, powered home in the last quarter to beat Red Cliffs 43-37 at John James Ovals.
Powered by next-gen players including the Giofrelle sisters, Georgia and Belle, the Eagles have transformed into a cohesive unit that play with purpose and quality ball movement.
It’s not quite at Wentworth’s level yet, but these young Eagles are a team on the move.
As the youngsters motored around the court, there was a 43-year-old veteran who stood tall in defence for the home team.
After late call-up Member for Mildura Jade Benham suited up against the player of the round in the season’s opening week, Tigers goal shooter Jazmin Parker.
It was an absorbing battle, with each having their moments in the glorious autumn sun.
After the game, Benham reflected on her first outing of the season after she had been a key member of the B Grade team’s run to last year’s grand final.
“I’m 23 years older than most of the girls in this team, but I really enjoyed it out there,” she said.
“The (Giofrelle) sisters are just freaks. They are so quick on the court and just know where each other’s going to be.
“Taneh (Hazel) played amazingly well (at centre) too.”
Siddons was delighted with her team’s confidence-boosting performance.
“It’s massive for this group of girls,” she said.
“We’ve had players step up from B Grade and Under 17s into this team, with four from last year staying on.
“We’ve been working on the speed of our ball movement because we’re at a disadvantage heightwise against most of the other sides in the competition.
“And that’s the mission I’ve set the girls: be fast and efficient with the ball.”
– Matt Taylor
TELFER CASHES IN
A QUICK start for South Mildura proved to be the difference against Imperials.
Good shooting and some spectacular defensive plays helped the Bulldogs on the way to their 44-39 victory.
Goal shooter Sarah Telfer scored 27 points for the home team in a solid shooting performance.
Despite some nice runs of play, Imperials were held at bay for the whole game.
Whenever they challenged, the Bulldogs responded and were able to hold on to their lead.
Imperials shooter Kia Scott battled hard and shot well for the most part but was suffocated at times by Bulldogs defenders Marno Naquito and Sharne Lane, who had a number of intercepts.
Bulldogs coach Sally Moore was happy with her team’s response after a tough match-up the week before against the benchmark of the competition.
“We had a really tough gig last week against Wentworth,” she said.
“During the week we tried new things which we (put into action) in today’s game.
“We took a few risks and they worked well.”
Moore said that most of the changes were positional, with many of the team moved around from the previous week.
“We just wanted to make sure we committed to the game plan, which we did,” she said.
– Josh Riseley
DEE-LIGHTFUL START
MILDURA showed they will not be a team to be taken lightly this SFNL A Grade season with an impressive 46-34 victory over Irymple at Brian Weightman Oval on Saturday.
The Demons were in charge from the start in chilly conditions and led all the way. Only a last-quarter lapse, when the hosts were outscored 10-6, belied their dominance.
Despite the late wobble, Demons coach Sharon Watson was pleased with her young charges’ performance and the fact that after a first-round bye her side was 2-0.
“I think they are an amazing bunch of girls,” Watson said.
“They put in the hard yards at training and then they bring it on to the court.
“We are still a long way from where we need to be and we had lulls today, like that last quarter, and those are things we need to work on,” she said.
Mildura’s solid all-round performance was led by Ada Zadow and Ellie Vincent, while Jorja Delcastegne and Lily Droffelaar stood out for the Swallows, who have a solitary win to show from their first three games of the season.
– Tym Glaser
ROOS RUNNING HOT
AT Blackburn Park, flag favourites Wentworth downed arch-rivals Ouyen United 48-24.
In a rematch of last year’s thrilling A Grade grand final, where the Roos won by a goal, the visitors made it three wins on the trot to open their title defence.
The Kangas, meanwhile, are winless ahead of another tough test against Mildura (2-0) this weekend.
