Dusties claim thumping win under lights
The Warragul Industrials women's division one team hosted Mornington White on Saturday evening at Western Park and claimed a strong 10.15 (75) to 2.2 (14) win.
Mornington have two teams in division one with the White team being their second team.
The Dusties team regained Jess Szalek for her first game of the year but was without Bella Brown, so would need to cover the hole she would leave in defence.
The young Mornington team began well and were matching the Warragul Industrials pressure early in the game.
The first quarter was an arm wrestle with the Dusties girls holding an eight-point margin at the break.
The game changed after quarter time with the Dusties girls responding to the challenge, the midfield now getting on top and as a result were able to get repeat entries into the forward line and restrict Mornington to only a few inside 50s for the term.
After half time Matilda Van Berkel was moved forward and was proving a headache for the Mornington side.
The Dusties midfield continued their dominance and the girls in defence were rebounding every forward entry for Mornington.
The last quarter saw lots of scoring opportunities but unfortunately the Dusties girls were inaccurate, scoring one goal and four points.
Best players for the home side were Matilda Van Berkel, Lily Van Berkel, Abbie Hoiberg Cox, Michaela Williams, Alisha Molesworth and Ahlee Penry.
Next week division one face a big challenge as they take on Frankston at Kinetic Stadium (formerly Skybus Stadium).
Frankston were the 2023 runners-up and look to be very strong again this year.
The team will be strengthened with some big names possibly coming back, possibly including the Dusties debut of Irish recruit Siobhan Sheerin.
Round two in division three of the MPFNL saw the Dusties development girls take home a well-earned 7.9 (57) to 1.5 (10) victory over Pines from Frankston.
While the Warragul Industrials vs Pines results have favoured the Dusties in recent years, this year's match shaped up to be a more even contest, with Pines recruiting well over the summer.
However, once again, the girls from Warragul managed to maintain their form, securing a solid 46-point win at home under lights.
After nine debutants last week, there were a further three this week who contributed well to the win. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, but the pressure from Warragul ultimately helped them run over the top of their opponents, nearly keeping them scoreless in the second half if it weren't for a late rushed behind.
In the best for the Dusties was Lily Baldwin, who returned to last season's form and led the way with repeated defensive pressure involvements and pace in attack that sparked momentum for the side.
Solid performances were also seen from vice captain Ellen Croft (two goals), Tessa Binney and Harriet Parkinson, who stood out in an all-round team effort that also saw Rebekah Foulds snag two goals to add to her tally for the season as leading goalkicker.
However, injuries to some key players tempered the celebrations.
The Dusties will be eager to see the return of Britt Kilner, Paula Williams, Melinda Lewis, Natarsha Sanders and Skye Linsen to next week's lineup as they take on Frankston away in the curtain-raiser to the division one clash.