A SLOW start cost the Hamilton Kangaroos any chance of victory in their Open netball clash against North Warrnambool Eagles at Bushfield Oval, losing by 20 goals on Saturday.

The home side burst out of the blocks, adding 19 goals in the first quarter to the Roos’ five.

The visitors tightened up in the second term and conceded just 10 goals, while scoring seven at the other end.

A half time deficit of 17 goals was going to be tough to overhaul against the third-placed side, but the Roos did fight out the round 14 contest to the end.

Hamilton again struggled to make inroads in the third term, but a tight defence kept North Warrnambool honest, with a 22-goal margin at three quarter time reduced to 20 by the final whistle, 46-26.

Playing-coach, Emma Sommerville, was a standout in defence for the visitors, while Saskia Gould and Clare Crawford each put up 13 goals for the Kangaroos in a tough day out for the pair in attack.

Kellie Sommerville also returned to the side, strengthening the midcourt for the blue and white.

Other games

THE Hamilton Kangaroos remain in top spot in Division 1 after a five-goal win against North Warrnambool Eagles, 48-43.

An 18-goal second quarter proved pivotal for the visitors, as Kelsey Lewis (27 goals) and Hayley Sherlock (21 goals) combined well in goals, with Amanda Douglas named the Roos’ best player in the win.

Division 2 action saw the Kangaroos also get on the winners list, accounting for the home side by five goals.

The visitors led at every break, with Hamilton leading by eight goals at half time before going on to record a 36-31 victory.

Sophie Robinson finished the game with 20 goals, while Gabby Redpath was the team’s standout player.

Hamilton’s Division 3 clash also went the way of the blue and white, with the final margin just two goals.

Lily Raymond impressed for the visitors with 24 goals, in a strong performance from the goal attack.

The 17-and-Under clash went the way of the home side, as North Warrnambool Eagles held off Hamilton to win, 23-12.

Five goals separated the two teams at half time, with the visitors unable to reel in the deficit.

Bridget Mailes top-scored for the Kangaroos with 10 goals, while Isabella Malseed was named the team’s best player in the round 14 loss.

Hamilton won the 15-and-Under clash, 26-23, in a thrilling contest.

The Kangaroos led by one goal at each of the first two breaks, before pushing the margin out to five at three quarter time.

Saskia Gould finished with 10 goals, with Molly Sevior impressing throughout the game.

North Warrnambool Eagles also went down in the 15-and-Under Reserves clash, with the visitors winning, 23-19.

Lily Raymond put up 14 goals as the top-scorer for the Kangaroos.

The blue and white dominated the 13-and-Under match-up, winning 22-9, thanks to 15 goals from Leni Robertson, while Lexi Thomas also played an important role.

The 13-and-Under Reserves game was an even bigger win to the visitors, as Willow Colliton put up 20 goals for the Kangaroos to guide the team to a 32-3 victory.

Bridget Sherlock was a standout for the winners.

Football

THE Hamilton Kangaroos faced a tough task, travelling to Bushfield Oval to take on North Warrnambool Eagles in wintry conditions, eventually losing the Hampden Football Netball League round 14 clash by 43 points on Saturday.

The Roos were strong in the first term, as both teams struggled to find avenues to goal, with the home side kicking the only major of the opening quarter to lead by eight points at the break.

North Warrnambool Eagles kicked away in the second term, piling on six goals to one, in a quarter which proved to be the difference between the two teams.

The margin had stretched out to 38 points by half time, as the visitors had plenty of work ahead of them to close the deficit in the second half.

The second half saw both teams each kick two goals, as the Roos got back to their defensive best and slowed the Eagles in transition, with the final score being 9.11 (65) to 3.4 (22).

Darcy Russell was the lone hand up forward for the Kangaroos, kicking all three goals, while Cameron Whyte was impressive for the Roos in the ruck.

Other games

THE Kangaroos also went down in the reserves clash, losing by 78 points.

The visitors kicked one goal to four in the first term, before the North Warrnambool Eagles kicked away, adding four majors while keeping Hamilton goalless in the second quarter to go into half time with a 46-point lead.

The third quarter was the same, with another four goals to nil term, as the Roos struggled to match the home side amid wet and windy conditions at Bushfield.

North Warrnambool Eagles added another two goals in the final term to win, 14.9 (93) to 2.3 (15).

Oscar Linke and Lachie Urquhart were the goalkickers for the Kangaroos, with Urquhart also earning best on ground honours for the team.

The Under-18 clash was far more positive for the visitors, with Hamilton winning by 49 points, to finish the round in the top two.

Hamilton kicked four goals in the first term and kept the home side scoreless for the first half, as the Kangaroos went into half time with a 29-point scoreboard advantage.

The second half saw the visitors continue to dominate scoring, adding a further five goals to North Warrnambool’s 2, notching up a 9.7 (61) to 2.0 (12) victory.

Eddie McShane kicked three goals to top the Roos’ scoring, while Brodie Phillips was named the Kangaroos’ best player.