Hawks win three senior games

Round one of Gippsland League was played on Saturday, with Warragul and

Drouin both getting a successful start to their A grade campaigns. It follows Bairnsdale hosting Traralgon in an Easter weekend clash.

Results:

A grade: Drouin def Bairnsdale 50-39, Warragul def Wonthaggi 58-36, Moe def Morwell 53-38, Traralgon def Leongatha 42-32, Maffra drew Sale 33-33.

B grade: Drouin def Bairnsdale 45-30, Warragul def Wonthaggi 45-38, Moe def Morwell 54-41, Leongatha def Traralgon 47-31, Maffra drew Sale 33-33.

C grade: Drouin def Bairnsdale 37-13,

Wonthaggi def Warragul 33-20, Morwell def Moe 42-19, Traralgon def Leongatha 30-29, Maffra def Sale 34-30.

17 and under: Bairnsdale def Drouin 4725, Wonthaggi def Warragul 34-16, Moe def Morwell 25-24, Traralgon def Leongatha 40-22, Maffra def Sale 24-23.

15 and under: Bairnsdale def Drouin 51-22, Wonthaggi def Warragul 43-25, Moe def Morwell 36-27, Traralgon def Leongatha 6618, Sale def Maffra 51-37.

13 and under: Bairnsdale def Drouin 41-11, Wonthaggi def Warragul 27-15, Moe def Morwell 55-7, Traralgon def Leongatha 3833, Maffra def Sale (forfeit).

Drouin won all three senior grades after making the long road trip to Bairnsdale to open the season on Saturday.

A grade: Drouin 50 defeated Bairnsdale 39

This was was a well fought game, with Drouin taking the four points.

Drouin’s first half set them up beautifully, with an impressive second quarter by the whole side.

Lucy McKellar and April Bethune combined well, with leadership shown by both players. Lainey Downey showed why she’s one to watch in the coming years, displaying grit and determination in her A grade debut.

Ava Gaul worked hard to get the ball on the ring to feed into goalers, Karina Proctor and Brooke De Riter - who were also working their magic.

However, Ella Henderson was the stand out in wing attack, driving beautifully and producing turnovers in the middle of the court. Award: Ella Henderson.

B grade: Drouin 45 defeated Bairnsdale 30

The Hawks enjoyed a good win, led by Kylie Proctor who was as steady as she’d even been, shooting 35 goals. Kylie’s experience, teamed with athletic new recruit Bridie Cunningham, proved to be a winning combination.

The Hawks continued their use of rotations through the midcourt, with Joey Potter, Tilly Carroll and Deb Thomas all running in wing attack and centre.

Ruby Pritchett and Chelsea De Riter continued their stunning form from last season and it was fantastic to see Sara Russell and Ali McArthur return after 12 months off. Award: Chelsea De Riter.

C grade: Drouin 37 defeated Bairnsdale 13

With plenty to prove after a narrow loss to Bairnsdale in last year’s semi-final, the Hawks had a great win to start the season.

Kaylee Nalder and Tess Mapleson combined beautifully in goals, with great shooter-to-shooter connection. They will be a huge asset for the Hawks this season.

New faces in the midcourt fitted in seamlessly, with Alice McKellar a steady constant.

It was a great game defensively, keeping Bairnsdale to 13 goals. Jess Murray was outstanding in wing defence and goal defence. Awards: Jess Murray and Alice McKellar.

17 and under: Drouin 25 lost to Bairnsdale 47

Drouin got off to a good start, going goalfor-goal. However, Bairnsdale’s pressure and accurate goaling made it hard to keep up.

Matilda Cunningham pulled on the maroon and gold for the first time, and she really showed her stuff. She combined well with Jasmine Norton in defence, creating a lot of opportunities for the Hawks.

Reagan Joyce also had her first game for the Hawks and added a lot to the attack end.

Awards: Matilda Cunningham and Reagan Joyce.

15 and under: Drouin 22 lost to Bairnsdale 51

The first game saw new faces and plenty of new combinations for the Hawks.

The girls were up against a quality Bairnsdale side who led from the start of the game. However, there were some exciting moment of play from the Hawks that the end score didn’t reflect.

Ava Pask and Cleo Traumanis made their debut for the Hawks and showed their skill in the attack end, while Amber Hammond, Emmy Kneebone and Chloe Walsh worked hard in defence to create turnovers.

The Redlegs were too strong, but there were plenty of positives to take from the game.

Awards: Cleo Traumanis and Amber Hammond.

13 and under: Drouin 11 lost to Bairnsdale 41

Slightly undermanned, the Hawks introduced development players Isabelle Sugden and Reb Kensley. Both had fantastic games.

The Hawks played an amazing game with new players and positions, working hard to get the ball into the ring.

Defensively, the team had strong arms over the ball and persisted on getting fingers to the ball. Offensively, the team worked hard on systems learnt, which proved effective in giving the team chances to score.

All up, it was an impressive game.

Awards: Annabel Stephens and Libby Walsh.