KOONDROOK-Barham have moved two games clear of sixth placed Swan Hill following their drought breaking win over the Swans on Saturday afternoon.
The 10-goal win came on the back of a dominant first quarter from the Raiders, who outscored last year’s grand finalists 15-goals to nine to set up a six-goal lead by the first break.
From there, the Swans were unable to bridge the gap, with Koondrook-Barham keeping them at arm’s length for the remainder of the match on their way to a 49-39 victory.
It was an unfortunate start to the must-win match for Swan Hill, who lost Karli McIntyre and Ava Seymour prior to the match, with Lola Patterson and Isla Beasy making their debuts in their absence.
Even with the loss of McIntyre and Seymour, it was an impressive display from Koondrook-Barham, with co-coach Emma Peacock praising her team’s defensive pressure across the court as well as their start.
“I thought we got on top of them (Swan Hill) from the start and they didn’t really have that intensity where we really felt like we could potentially get beaten,” Peacock said.
“We played our way and they never really got too much momentum, which was good, but that’s also partly because we got on top of them right from the start when we scored four of the first five goals.
“Our midcourt was amazing. We’ve been employing a full court press lately and they (Swan Hill) really struggled to bring the ball down through that midcourt.
“Our defensive pressure that we put on from the get go was first class and a big reason in why we won.”
Saturday’s match also marked the return of Sophie Disher to Koondrook-Barham’s line-up, with the former Raider playing a key role at goal attack with 18 goals alongside goal shooter Erin Moerenhout (31 goals).
The return of Disher also enabled Larney Allen to return to defence where she teamed up with Peacock to terrorise Swan Hill’s attacking third.
Remy Doyle, who played her 50th senior game for Koondrook-Barham, was again among her team’s better players, along with co-coach Elly Bookham in the midcourt.
Despite not earning the four points, Swan Hill should still be encouraged by the effort of their young team, with five players who are yet to reach 18 taking to the court.
Patterson, Beasy and Miela Roberts are all still eligible to play under 15s, while Brooke Pearson plays under 17s and Jaya Jenkins-Jaiswal aged out last season.
While disappointed not to take home the four points, Swan Hill coach Casey Frame was philosophical after the match, with the veteran lamenting her team’s costly skill errors.
“Our team effort was there, but we just had too many errors,” Frame said.
“Defensively we were good, we won the ball but then didn’t capitalise on their mistakes due to some poor decisions on our part.
“Both Mollie (Quin) and Jaya (Jenkins-Jaiswal) did a great job in defence against some tall opposition, who hold body well.
“We had a very young team, but we’re pleased to know our youth can stand up against more experienced senior players and more than hold their own.”
The better players for Swan Hill were Mollie Quin and Miela Roberts, with the Swans set to face off against Woorinen this Saturday, while Koondrook-Barham will have the bye before playing NNW United.
