Drouin netballers continued their great start to the season with four wins in round two against Maffra on Saturday.
A grade: Drouin 65 defeated Maffra 17
It was a great sight to see young defenders Lucy McKellar and April Bethune playing with a local legend Ebony Mumford. And, what a first game back for Eb.
There was hunger for the ball in the defence end, making it really hard for the opposition to score.
At the other end, it was an exciting day for Charlize Traumanis who made her A grade debut for the Hawks. It was quite an introduction for Charlize who played in Stacie Gardiner's return game.
Karina Healy found herself out at wing attack, providing drive and quick ball movement with Ella Henderson and Ava Gaul.
Mental Health Round best on court: April Bethune.
Awards: April Bethune and Eb Mumford.
B grade: Drouin 77 defeated Maffra 27
The unfurling of the 2023 grand final flag inspired the Hawks to an outstanding win.
Brooke De Riter was dominant in the goals, combining with well with the rolling goal attacks. The team were seamless in their changes, allowing fresh legs to take the court throughout the game.
Ruby Pratt was back to her absolute best. Sara Russell was a force in the defence end, reading the ball beautifully and taking intercepts out of the ring. It was a fantastic team performance.
Mental Health Round best on court: Ruby Pratt.
Awards: Sara Russell and Brooke De Riter.
C grade: Drouin 34 defeated Maffra 17
The Hawks had a slow start but came out firing in the second and third quarters, limiting Maffra's scoring.
When the girls lifted, the ball movement was accurate and speedy at both ends of the court.
In defence, Jess Murray showed her usual style and flair, with intercepts and hands to everything. Backing her up with continual pressure on the Maffra goalers was Kelly McMillan. At the other end of the court, youngster Kaylee Nalder showed why she is a force to be reckoned with.
Awards: Kaylee Nalder, Jess Murray and Kelly McMillan.
17 and under: Drouin 46 defeated Maffra 38
The Hawks had a great win, displaying an amazing team game.
The team added Charlize Traumanis and Leilani Lightowler this week, and what great additions they are.
Reagan Joyce and Charlize combined well in the circle and their goaler-to-goaler connection was hard to stop.
Jaz Gallasch had a fantastic game. Her speed, defensive pressure and feeding made her one of the Hawks' best.
Jaz Norton also had an amazing game. She combined well with any defender that swung in there. Her rebounds and hands over pressure created a lot of scoring opportunities for the team.
Awards: Jaz Gallasch and Jaz Norton.
15 and under: Drouin 32 lost to Maffra 40
The girls came out firing against Maffra, showing that they are starting to gel together.
The Hawks led at quarter time, but Maffra came back strong and took the lead by half-time.
Ava Pask and Sophie Cassidy worked beautifully together in attack to get the ball onto the circle and feed the goalers. There were some great moments of play but, unfortunately, the girls couldn't get the win over the four quarters.
Awards: Ava Pask and Sophie Cassidy.
13 and under: Drouin 18 lost to Maffra 37
With a full team this week, the Hawks had many combinations on court attacking and defensively.
The team worked hard on moving from midcourt into goals and one-on-one defence, which was the main focus at training.
It was goal-for-goal for the first few minutes of the game. The score did blow out but the girls were determined to keep scoring, and they did. The final result was high scoring and they now have confidence to keep going up.
Awards: Pia Pask, Chloe Gargan and Annabel Stephens.