DESPITE falling 22 goals short of Warrnambool in round nine of the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) open netball, the Kangaroos will take some positives away from the result.

The shootout was filled with momentum shifts as plenty of fast and free-flowing netball was on display, contributing to the high final scores of 74-52 in favour of the Blues.

Warrnambool had the home court advantage and made their presence felt as they got the jump on Hamilton early taking a 17-8 lead into the first break.

The home side extended the lead in the second to control the play across the court and convert the work of the midcourt on the scoreboard.

The Kangaroos girls came out firing in the third quarter and brought it right up to the home side almost doubling their own score and nearly outscoring the Blues.

During this term, Warrnambool was forced to hold off some real Hamilton pressure in the third and while they still won the quarter, it was by a narrow margin 17-16.

The Blues were too strong in the last quarter and cruised to their sixth victory of the season pushing them closer to the top four while Hamilton are yet to register their first victory.

Kangaroos’ coach, Emma Sommerville said the girls put together a strong second half which showed the great progress the younger players are making.

“It was a slow start but seeing the girls build momentum and not drop their heads with a shaky first quarter was really good to see,” she said.

“Unfortunately, they did get the jump early, but the girls just kept building in intensity and strength throughout the game, it was such an important team game, picking bests was a challenge on the weekend.”

While everyone played their role perfectly, some standouts were Kellie Sommerville, Grace Cleaver and Clare Crawford.

“Kel just keeps bringing that intensity week in and out … Clare has had a great season and she’s been really good for the junior girls,” Sommerville said.

“Grace has been put into defence after starting in the midcourt and she shut down a key opponent.”

Sommerville said it had been great to see the enjoyment of the team and despite the loss, she felt the team had been building quite nicely.

“We know we need to work on our starts but seeing the girls find their feet during the game, particularly the juniors, is incredibly promising,” she said.

“The last two weeks the girls have looked like they’re really enjoying playing which is great to see.”

Saskia Gould was huge for the visitors scoring 34 goals and playing a consistent game in the goal ring with some assistance from Clare Crawford (18 goals) who played goal attack.

Senior Divisions

THE Division 1 Kangaroos have now won eight consecutive games after holding off a gallant Warrnambool side by six goals, 55-49 on Saturday.

Hamilton got on top in the second and maintained the lead for the rest of the game to make it eight in a row.

Kelsey Lewis, Hayley Sherlock and Amanda Douglas were the Roos’ best players in the victory.

It was a battle of fourth and fifth in Division 2 as the Kangaroos looked to cause a minor upset against the Blues, but it wasn’t to be as the home side won 45-25.

The Roos went with them for periods, but the consistent four quarter performance meant that Warrnambool took home the points on the day.

Molly Sevior, Caitlin Urquhart and Gabby Redpath were strong performers in the loss.

Division 3 continued its undefeated run as it dealt with third-placed Warrnambool 37-28 thanks to a dominant last quarter which was ultimately the difference.

The Blues started strong and led at the first half, but the Kangaroos bounced back and pinched the nine-goal victory.

Lily Raymond, Skye Kissel and Ellen Casey made a huge difference late when it mattered.

Junior Divisions

THE 17-and-Under girls were no match for Warrnambool as they were beaten comfortably 21-6 in a tough outing away from home.

Grace Cleaver, Skye Kissel and Ruby Spong fought hard for Hamilton, but it wasn’t enough.

Hamilton got back on the winners’ list in the 15-and-Under competition with 38-17 victory over Warrnambool.

Lucy Jennings, Georgia Taylor and Mia Spong were the Roos’ best players on the day, the side currently sits second on the ladder.

The 15-and-Under reserves cemented themselves in third spot with a thrilling one goal victory over the Blues, 27-26.

Eloise Millard and Abbey Sevior were the Kangaroos’ best players on Saturday.

The 13-and-Under team had a great 16-goal victory on Saturday with a strong second half securing the result.

Elsie Brown, Sydney Smith and Pippa Richards were named in the best for the Kangaroos.

It was a case of not quite for the 13-and-Under Kangaroos as they fell six goals short of a strong Blues team on Saturday, 24-18.

Willow Colliton, Willow Manson and Chloe Stewart were among the best players for Hamilton.

Football

IT was a grim day for the Hamilton Kangaroos in the senior football as they travelled to Warrnambool and came home with a result that could give any side the Blues, falling to a demoralising 24.13 (157) to 5.7 (37) loss.

The visitors were smashed in two quarters in particular resulting in what is easily the team’s worst loss of the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) 2024 season, a 120-point margin at the final siren.

Hamilton Kangaroos were outscored by just 41-30 in the first and third quarters combined, however they were smashed 116-7 in the other two quarters conceding 58 points in each.

Prior to this, the Roos had lost just one game this year by more than 52 points – against an undefeated South Warrnambool (61 points), putting up a strong fight against lots of sides.

This effort and intensity continued last week against a formidable Koroit Saints side, but another test lay ahead in Warrnambool, and it proved far too great of a task.

The Kangaroos started the game well and mixed it with the home side taking it up to them around the stoppage and bringing the pressure, just where they left off last week.

The side rued some missed chances which they should’ve converted to kick a wayward 1.5 in the first quarter costing them the chance to take a nice little lead into quarter time.

Warrnambool came out in the second quarter determined to change the tides of a game that had been controlled by Hamilton in the first.

They did exactly that as they obliterated the blue and white around the ball, dominating in the contest and giving their forwards some great looks at the big sticks.

The second quarter was a bloodbath for Hamilton as the Blues kicked 9.4 (58) to no score essentially putting the game to bed.

Kangaroos’ coach, Brad Thomas told his players at half time that they needed to lift the pressure and intensity to get back to a similar level that they displayed in the first term.

It was a well-received message as the Hamilton boys came out in the third and looked like a completely different team as Ethan Knight and Jack English got to work.

The last quarter was again one way traffic in favour of Warrnambool as the Roos ran out of legs and were beaten convincingly as Blues’ forwards Luke Cody and Heath Morgan-Morris (eight goals each) impressed.

Knight and English have been crucial players in the midfield for Hamilton this season and were again among the best, while Taine Morris, Cam Pither, Cameron Whyte and Hamish Cook were also strong performers.

Individual goal scorers with one each were Cook, Knight, Morris, Ryan Sigley and Brady Hicks.

Reserves

THE Kangaroos didn’t have it any easier in the HFNL reserves as Warrnambool dominated to keep the visitors goalless and win 17.15 (117) to 0.3 (3).

The win puts the Blues into the top four while Hamilton remains ninth with a 1-8 season record as the bye week looms.

The first quarter was the most competitive effort from the day as the Kangaroos kept Warrnambool to just 2.2 while kicking 0.2 themselves, but the Blues made a statement as the game went on.

Isaiah Mulley and James Milich didn’t win a lot of the ball but made an impact when they did, being awarded in the best – Oscar Linke was also good on the day.

Matt Dunn, Roger Morris, Ivan Silcock and Troy Cox were also some of the Roos’ best in the 114-point loss.

Under-18

HAMILTON no longer holds its undefeated status as it was knocked off by 47 points against Warrnambool in the Under-18 HFNL football at Reid Oval on Saturday.

The Kangaroos came into the game with an unblemished 8-0 season record but were no match for the Blues on the day as they fell 9.7 (61) to 2.3 (15).

The ladder is incredibly competitive towards the top with Hamilton, Warrnambool and South Warrnambool all sitting at 8-1, with percentage keeping the Roos on top.

Hunter Plush, Archie Porter, Zac Elliott, Hugh Fitzgerald, Jake Tonissen and Angus Kissel all impressed for the Roos.