Shepparton United is off the mark and flying, joining the A-grade winners’ list after downing Shepparton Swans in a Deakin Reserve classic.
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In a game where patience prevailed, the Demons held nerve at the crunch to emerge with an eight-goal triumph to bounce back from their round one Goulburn Valley League defeat to Shepparton.
United coach Jeanette Serra noted her side didn’t deviate from the game plan and pounced at the right moments to earn a hard-fought 45-37 result.
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Give and go: United's Laura Cole. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 2 of 5
Searching for a teammate: Swans' Sarah Down. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 3 of 5
Quick hands: United's Jessica De Garis. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 4 of 5
Eyes up: Swans' Chelsea McDonald. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 5 of 5
Who wants it? United's Hayley Howard. Photo by Rechelle Zammit“We were confident that if we brought our four-quarter effort that we’d played the week before, the result would take care of itself and we were able to do that,” she said.
“Our scoring across the four quarters was very even, and in the third and fourth quarter we just managed to pull away and win those quarters by a couple of goals which ultimately saw us win.
“We were just patient – it was a really physical match – and didn’t force the ball in.
“They had a really strong presence in the defending end, but we waited until the right opportunity to score, so we were really pleased with the effort.”
While plenty of eyes were fixed on new Swans Tayla Clohesy and Sophie Garner, formerly of United, the visitors’ defence and physical presence in and around the arc kept the game tight.
One goal separated the two teams at half-time, but United kicked on and continued to feed attacking outlet Hayley Howard, who kept the net rustling and stood tall when it counted.
Serra indicated an element of continuity came into play as the game went by, with such a tight opening two terms calling for cool heads to see out the win.
“We didn’t make too many changes, it was pretty much the same team from start to finish – I think we made one positional change,” she said.
“We just needed that consistency, it was just such a tight match.
“We probably just had a little bit more patience than Swans; it could’ve gone either way, we were more patient and made good decisions.”
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Waiting for the right pass: Mansfield's Isabella Riley. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 2 of 8
Who wants it? Tatura's Steph Smith-Gorrie. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 3 of 8
Eyes up: Tatura's Molly Boyle. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 4 of 8
In the zone: Tatura's Elsie Boyer. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 5 of 8
Turn and go: Mansfield's Darcy Croxford-Demasi. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 6 of 8
Ready and waiting: Tatura's Taylor Rokahr. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 7 of 8
Searching: Tatura's Molly Kennedy. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 8 of 8
New Bulldog: Tatura's Jasmine Fraser. Photo by Aydin PayneAround the courts, Mooroopna backed up its round one performance with a strong showing against Shepparton, sailing to a 30-goal win.
Picking points off the Cats on their home court is proving an insurmountable task, with Mooroopna locking it down at the Cattery to hold a 2-0 record.
Elsewhere, Tatura kept its streak intact with a 50-25 win over Mansfield.
Guided by star recruit and defender Jasmine Fraser, who showcased her talents with a switch to goals mid-game, the Bulldogs got the early jump with a 13-4 opening term.
The Dogs improve to 2-0, a record they have not reached since before the 2013 season.
Lastly, Seymour looked the goods in a 65-41 win over Rochester and Echuca steered to a 38-25 triumph over Kyabram and Euroa ousted Benalla 64-31.
Senior Sports Journalist