By Tara Murray
Romsey opened its account in the Riddell District Netball League with a hard-fought win against Woodend-Hesket.
An under strength Redbacks side took a little while to get into the game but once settled they broke the game open and capitalised on the Hawks turnovers.
Redbacks held a solid lead at three-quarter time.
The Hawks showed some grit in the final quarter but the game was over, with the Redbacks winning 48-35.
Injured Redbacks’ defender Monique Clark said they know they have things to work on.
She said in the end they ran out of legs in the final quarter.
“A win is a win,” she said.
“We had five girls out and to have a few B-grade girls step up was really good.
“A few of the girls had played in B-grade before A-grade so there was a few tired bodies.
“Things were going a bit wrong and we just weren’t in the right head space to fix it, but we’ll work on that.”
As well as missing five players, coach Luke Marko Rawlings missed the match because he was playing with the Victorian under-23 men’s team at the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association Championships.
Shooter Rebecca Hicks travelled two hours back from the national titles, having been part of the open mixed team.
PHOTO GALLERY: Romsey vs Woodend-Hesket
Clark said the quality of players who were able to step up showed the depth at the club.
Paula Jewell, Hope Evans, Lauren Anglin, Megan Sampson and Alicija Marko Rawlings, who all stepped up, have played A-grade netball before.
Hicks, who came on at quarter-time, shot 34 goals from 37 attempts, while Alicija Marko Rawlings shot 10 goals in her first game at the club.
Stefanie Symes was best on court, dominating in defence.
Clark said Symes goes to another level when she needs to.
Clark, who dislocated her knee while playing in the Victorian Netball League on Wednesday night, said she would miss a few more weeks but the team was hopeful of having everyone, including captain Chelsea Ross, who has been out with a calf injury, return to the side in the next few weeks.
The Redbacks, next face Macedon in a grand final rematch. The Cats are coming off a rare loss, losing to Rupertswood on Anzac Day.
Clark said they were looking forward to facing off against the Cats again.
“It’s good to have a win and build some confidence,” she said. “We’ll try and knock them while they’re down.”
In other results, Macedon and Rupertswood played out the match of the round on Anzac Day. The Sharks won 41-40 to remain undefeated. The loss is the Cats first since 2017.
Riddell got its first win of the season, beating Lancefield 55-32. Wallan was too strong for Diggers Rest, winning 37-32, while Rockbank beat Broadford 44-26.
