Bats produce big performances in penultimate round

If only those shots were majors, however, as the boys kicked 2.9 for the quarter. In the second quarter things settled down and both sides were finding it hard to hit their targets.

After the half time break the Bats were at it again with plenty of attacking football and our on ballers getting majority of the centre clearances, giving our forwards great opportunity, and they didn’t disappoint.

Much like the Bats’ first quarter, Bonnie Doon had its opportunities, but great pressure from our defenders saw them with more behinds than goals all the while our boys kept up the attack, still impacting with majors at the other end.

Des O’Kane was again outstanding out of the centre and all around the ground with his hard ball gets, but wasn’t on his own with Jamie Dunne and Ryan Burns hard at it too and seeing plenty of it.

Alex Moloney was fantastic in the ruck and our back 6 were outstanding working in sink with each other.

Up forward Jordan Wolff was hard to stop, charging at everything with the small forwards going to work around him.

Well done fellas on a great win.

Score: Goorambat 12.12 (84) def Bonnie Doon 8.14 (62)

Awards: Peter Davis Rural Best on Ground - Des O’Kane, Goorambat Railway Hotel - Alex Moloney, Hollywood’s Pizza - Kobe Black, Gladstone’s Ampol Fuel - James Dalton, Thursday Night Club Meal - Victor Butler, Gladstone’s Ampol Fuel - Jordan Wolff

Reserves

Saturday saw Goorambat welcome Bonnie Doon to The Cave on what was a perfect day for footy.

In the reserves it was another tough day for our boys, but to their credit, they never gave up and although the scoreboard was one sided, fought on bravely, supplying great pressure all day.

Will Cheshire was again tremendous in the ruck and covering the ground, giving his all, and so too was Jeremy Hill. Brenton Doig was solid down back along with Rhino who had a big task in stopping Doon’s full forward.

Score: Goorambat 0.2 (2) def by Bonnie Doon 22.13 (145)

Awards: Bouwmeester’s Bakery Best on Ground - Ryan Cole, Hollywood’s Pizza - Dylan Barber, Club Drink Voucher - Oskar Weber, Royal Hotel - Stampy, Bill Bo Pop - Will Cheshire, Sportspower - Vaughan Carter

Netball

A Grade

A Grade produced one of its best performances of the season, pushing second-placed Bonnie Doon all the way before narrowly going down by just two goals.

The girls gave everything from the opening whistle, matching Bonnie Doon’s intensity with relentless defensive pressure and composed ball movement through the court. Every player played their role and refused to let the game slip away, staying within striking distance until the final seconds.

Sarah Blackburn led from the front with an outstanding performance, while Kylie Relf was influential all game with her composure and consistency. Olivia Dalton also had another strong performance, providing plenty of drive through the midcourt and helping keep the pressure on right until the final whistle.

Although the result didn’t fall our way, it was a performance the group can be incredibly proud of heading into the final rounds.

Score: Goorambat 41 def by Bonnie Doon 43

Awards: Best on Court - Sarah Blackburn - Riverbank cash award, Kylie Relf - Goorambat drink voucher, Olivia Dalton - Goorambat Pub award

B grade

Goorambat took on Bonnie Doon this weekend who are sitting on top of the ladder. Last time we came up against Doon we went down by only three goals.

Bats came out strong with a five-goal lead in the first few minutes of the game, however Bonnie Doon fought hard to quickly close that gap and were up by four at quarter time, and established an even bigger lead of eight goals at half time.

We made some big changes on the court at half time throwing defenders into attack and attack into defence, which seemed to be the shake up we needed.

Kelsey Moss moved into wing attack and proved to be the steady hand we needed, working along with Amelia Gall who both fed beautifully into our shooters. Chelsea Bamford and Poppy Broomhall had their work cut out for them in the goal ring with tall and smooth Doon defenders. They worked hard to keep possession under fatigue.

Defenders Lacey Carter, Georgia Thomson, Tiffany Osborne and Ally Ellis worked tirelessly to try and shut down a young, accurate Bonnie attacking end. Georgia Thomson was crucial for us in defence with her flying intercepts and clean hands, creating many midcourt turn overs.

Although we didn’t come away with a win, the whole team played amazingly and never gave up. Their determination to close an almost 10-goal gap is a true credit to them and I’m excited to see what we can do in finals.

Score: Goorambat 38 def by Bonnie Doon 40

Awards: Best on Court - Georgia Thomson - G&S Gall cash award, Kelsey Moss - Club dinner, Chelsea Bamford - Drink voucher

B Reserve

Goorambat B Reserve fought hard at home but went down to Bonnie Doon, 18-48, on Saturday.

While the scoreboard didn’t reflect the effort, the side continued to battle throughout the match against a well-drilled Bonnie Doon outfit.

A special highlight of the day was Fiona Doig’s milestone 250th game for the club. Fiona has been a dedicated and loyal servant of Goorambat netball, and fittingly celebrated the occasion with a best-on-court performance, leading by example with her determination and composure.

Kate Nolan also impressed with her strong work rate and consistency across the court, while Grace Handley rounded out the best players with another reliable performance, never giving up and continuing to apply pressure until the final whistle.

Score: Goorambat 18 def by Bonnie Doon 58

Awards: Best on Court - Fiona Doig - Muscle Mend cash award, Grace Handley - Royal Hotel award, Kate Nolan - Club drink voucher

Under 17s

The under 17s came up against the top side in Bonnie Doon, with the scoreboard not reflecting the effort the girls put in throughout the match. Before the game, the team set themselves a number of goals to focus on rather than the result, and it was fantastic to see them achieve every one of them.

The girls continued to work hard against quality opposition, supported each other all game and never stopped competing. Cienna Berry was outstanding across the court, while Lola Mount’s work rate and determination never wavered. Pippa Martin also battled hard all day and continued to provide great effort despite the tough contest.

Score: Goorambat 13 def by Bonnie Doon 87

Awards: Cienna Berry - Stephen’s cash award, Lola Mount - Thursday night dinner voucher, Pippa Martin - Canteen voucher

Under 15s

The Bats knew they were in for a tough game this week, coming up against one of the top teams and carrying a few injuries.

Aaliyah Wakley once again used her front cuts effectively to open up space, while Chloe Culhane worked hard in defence, applying pressure with arms over shots.

We went into the game with a focus on staying positive, and this was highlighted by all players encouraging each other and celebrating the small wins throughout the game.

Score: Goorambat 6 def by Bonnie Doon 72

Awards: Aaliyah Wakley - Amelia Kate Hair, Chloe Culhane - Goorambat drink voucher