THE Hamilton Kangaroos travelled down to Bushfield Oval hoping to claim an upset Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) win against the North Warrnambool Eagles, but returned empty handed on Saturday.

The Kangaroos were kept to just two points in the first term, while the home side piled on six goals to grab control of the contest early on.

The visitors bounced back in the second term, kicking three goals to two, to reduce the deficit to 31 points at the main break.

The short turn around after Anzac Day was always a chance to impact Hamilton’s run in the second half, as the Eagles dominated play after the main break and kicked further clear of the visitors.

North Warrnambool kicked 11 goals to the Kangaroos’ three in the second half to win, 19.14 (128) to 6.10 (46).

Kangaroos skipper, Brady Hicks said the slow start proved costly against a strong North Warrnambool outfit.

“They got a jump early, it took us a bit to get going,” he said.

“The second and third quarters were much better, whether that five-day turnaround left us a bit flat footed in the last, but they got hold of us a bit then.

“Overall the scoreboard didn’t reflect the true game, we battled hard all game.”

The midfield battle was also instrumental with the two teams having periods of dominance.

Hicks said he was happy with how the blue and white engine room worked throughout the game.

“Stats wise we actually did pretty well in the midfield,” he said.

“We paid them a lot of respect from the start and Cam Whyte and Dave Arnold were strong in the ruck.

“They play that ground really well, it is a bit bigger than ours and Dylan Parish was a big target up forward, and Bailey Mason went onto him.”

Zach Burgess picked up an ankle injury, but is expected to be fit for the Kangaroos’ next game on May 14, with a league bye scheduled for this weekend.

Hicks said the team was eager to work hard over the bye and bounce back against Terang-Mortlake.

“We spoke after the game and we were all disappointed in the effort and the result,” he said.

“We know you can’t just play footy for two quarters, we know it takes four quarters and will be a good learning experience.

“They are a strong team and that is where we need to strive to get to.”

The goals were shared evenly for the blue and white, while Rory Gill was named the Kangaroos’ best ahead of Brady Hicks and Cameron Whyte.

Bailey Mason also impressed in his first game for the year.