MELTON’S new-look netball A-grade team is already commanding some attention after toppling Darley by 18 goals in the opening round of the Ballarat Netball League.
The Devils slipped to one win and one loss with the 24-42 defeat.
Former Melbourne Vixens player Brooke Thompson headlines the list of recruits for the Bloods while mid-courter Amy Conroy and goaler Tegan Gardam also made promising starts at their new club on Saturday.
Melton playing coach Krista Woodroffe said Thompson, originally from Melton, was the sort of player who would lift everyone around her on the court.
‘‘A lot of the girls know her and we were in talks with her before the start of the season, she was happy to come back,’’ Woodroffe said.
‘‘Brooke played through the centre for the majority of the game. She was quite dynamic. Having her in the team will get the best out of our players and she will be one of the best players in the league this year.’’
Melton goalers Brooke Gleeson (21) and Gardam (16) led the scoring while Darley’s Elyce Carlyle shot 16.
Woodroffe said the team had not had a proper hit-out as a group through pre-season, so improvement was expected from here.
Darley coach Marika Barnes said the absence of league best and fairest Olivia Aughton from the Darley back court was felt among a number of absentees that put demands on reserve grade players and under-18.5 call-ups.
‘‘We were shocking, didn’t start basically,’’ Barnes said.
‘‘We haven’t had our set starting seven playing, there will be a couple of new players back for Bacchus Marsh next week and Olivia will be one of them.’’
Barnes said she didn’t think the defeat added any extra pressure to the club’s showdown with Bacchus Marsh on May 5.
‘‘It’s opened the girls’ eyes,’’ she said. ‘‘Talei Bari tried hard … Tarni Lopes, one of our up-and-coming defenders, played well.’’
Melton South bounced back from its defeat against Darley in the season opener by edging Sunbury 31-29 on Saturday. Bacchus Marsh could not match last year’s runner-up Lake Wendouree in its season opener, the Cobras losing 58-32.
Grab this week’s Melton-Moorabool Weekly for footy reports from Bacchus Marsh’s win against Lake Wendouree and Melton’s victory against Darley
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BNL A-GRADE — ROUND 1
Melton South 31 (Danielle Robertson 28) d Sunbury 29, Darley 24 (Elyce Carlyle 16) lt Melton 24 Brooke Gleeson 21, Tegan Gardam 16), North Ballarat City 39 d Sebastopol 33, Lake Wendouree 58 d Bacchus Marsh 32, Redan 59 d Ballarat 22, East Point bye
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BFL ROUND 1
Darley 8.16 (64) lt Melton 14.9 (93)
GOALS — Darley: Leigh Sobotnicki, Marty Pask 2, Dane Grenfell, Scott McAllester, Jacob Whitney, Darren Leonard 1
Melton: Joshua Carman 5, James Aquilina 3, Andrew Bartlett, Ash Webber, Brody Richie, Jesse McLellan, Chris Webber 1
BEST — Darley: Tate Stone, Brad Inglis, Drew Edwards
Melton: Joshua Carman, Darren Haby, Dillon Sharp, Allan Hill, Chris Webber, John Prudek
Lake Wendouree 7.7 (49) lt Bacchus Marsh 10.8 (68)
GOALS — Lake Wendouree: Sam Clifton 3, Andrew Pitson 2, Charles Edmonston, Brock Orval 1
Bacchus Marsh: Alex Schwarzenberg, Pasi Schwalger 3, Alec Del Papa, Liam Mullen, Danny Abbott, David Van Der Poel 1
BEST — Lake Wendouree: Claye Kelson, Norton Darrigan, Sam Clifton, Ashley Simpson, Matthew Tuminello, Daniel Pratt
Bacchus Marsh: Tyson Shea, Ashley Sweet, Daniel Velden, Danny Abbott, Coby Millar, Charlton Butt
OTHERS: Redan 16.11 (107) d Ballarat 15.14 (104), North Ballarat 17.17 (119) d Sebastopol 11.6 (72)
ROUND 1: Sunbury Lions v Melton South tonight, Clarke Oval, 7.15pm
ROUND 2: Melton v Bacchus Marsh (7.15pm), North Ballarat v Lake Wendouree (6.15pm), Sebastopol v Redan, Ballarat v East Point, Melton South 10.14 (74) lt Darley 13.18 (96), Sunbury bye
