THE Kangaroos were no match for a powerful and experienced Koroit Saints side as they were outclassed 59-34 in round eight of the HFNL open netball at Victoria Park in Koroit.
The Saints showed the young Roos why they are one of the premiership contenders this season, putting the visitors on the back foot from the first whistle.
Koroit made light work of Hamilton in the first half, controlling the play and converting well inside the goal ring.
At half time, it was shaping up to be a heavy loss for the Kangaroos but to their credit, they fought back strong in the second half.
The blue and white outscored their opponents in the third quarter 14-10 and generated some good ball movement from the back end of the court.
A quarter that showed some exciting glimpses of the netball that the side hopes to display more often as the season progresses.
The Roos fell short by 25 goals in the end but will take a lot of positives out of the way they were able to challenge the Saints in the second half.
The team has fallen to 0-8 this season and sits on the bottom, however the continued development and experience for the youthful outfit will be invaluable.
Saskia Gould led the way in the goal ring with 22 goals, while Maddox Ryan, Ella Sevior and Clare Crawford were the Kangaroos’ best.
Senior Divisions
HAMILTON is narrowly sitting second on the ladder in Division 1 after recording a comfortable win against a strong Koroit side on Saturday, 40-28.
The first half was an arm wrestle as the Saints fought hard, but the Roos found some momentum to put the game to bed in the second half.
Holly Rook, Bailey Ryan and Amanda Douglas were in fine touch and named as Kangaroos’ best players on the day.
Led by Kelsey Lewis, the blue and white are in a rich vein of form with an impressive 7-1 season record to their name.
The Division 2 Kangaroos were no match for the Saints as they faded in the second half to lose by a comfortable 11 goal margin, 37-26.
Gabby Redpath, Phoebe Dunn and Hannah Quinn were Hamilton’s best players on the day, the side now sits in fifth with a 4-4 season record.
The Division 3 girls are flying in 2024 and made no mistake about continuing their undefeated run against Koroit at the weekend, defeating the premiership contender by nine goals, 28-19.
Tenille Oliver was one of the best players on the court shooting 17 goals, while experienced campaigners Joe McKew and Ellen Casey were also strong contributors.
Junior Divisions
DESPITE great individual games from Grace Cleaver, Griet Rowe and Skye Kissel, ladder-leader Koroit made light work of Hamilton in the 17-and-Under clash, defeating them 52-23 at the weekend.
Bridget Mailes was strong under the ring scoring 16 goals at the offensive end of the court.
The 15-and-Under Kangaroos lost their first game of the season as Koroit proved too good at home to defeat them in a five-goal upset, 28-23.
Saskia Gould continued her strong form shooting 20 goals and was among the best players, while Ruby Cleaver and Georgia Taylor battled hard in the loss.
The 15-and-Under reserves cemented themselves in the top four with a narrow five goal victory over the Saints, with a strong first half setting up the 29-24 victory.
Lily Raymond (17 goals) and Evie Grinham (12 goals) were the scoring threats for the Roos while Eloise Millard and Eliza Smith were also in the best.
Hamilton secured an eight-goal victory against to sit in second place on the ladder in the 13-and-Under competition, as Taya Sherlock, Lexi Thomas and Pippa Richards helped see the side to victory.
Coming into the final quarter, the scores were all tied up, but a strong last quarter was the difference winning 30-22, Ava Kinnealy scored 15 goals for the Kangaroos.
The 13-and-Under reserves fell just five goals short against Koroit, it was an even battle with the sides placed third and fourth respectively.
Koroit led the blue and white at every break and managed to hold off a late resurgence to get the four points – Bridget Sherlock, Georgia Brown and Evie Templeton were Hamilton’s best.
