Lancaster came in rolling high against Avenel following the league’s general bye the previous weekend, widely expected to move to 11-0 despite an Avenel outfit with finals aspirations standing in the Wombats’ way.
There were aspects about Lancaster’s 60-34 win over the Swans that stood out well beyond just numbers on the scoreboard, though — namely, the inclusion of some long-awaited names to fill out the squad.
“It was another good win for us where Chicky (Vick) got the match ball for best-on-court,” Hill said.
“We had a lot of consistency in the midcourt and had Jadeja Davies back for the first time since she broke her wrist against Murchison-Toolamba (in round five).
“We’re just hoping to have our full 10 players play their first full game together in the next couple of weeks, as we haven’t had that all season.”
Much has been made of Lancaster’s perseverance through persistent personnel problems, but an 11-0 record has more than defied the odds.
Raw talent certainly helps navigate such muddy waters, with Hill confident in any combination she can select on the day.
“The girls are playing good netball, so it’s quite an easy team to coach,” Hill said.
“We hope our full side will be there heading into finals, so that we can roll players on and off.
“To even have three on the bench would be fantastic; we had one on the bench yesterday with a C-grader, but whatever seven take the court will be a strong seven.
“We haven’t really got a weak link and I’ve never experienced that in coaching before.
“This is a very strong and versatile side, and a good bunch of people as well.”
Obviously, the Wombats would be strongly favoured against Undera this weekend to make it a dozen on the trot, but Hill sympathised with the availability issues which have plagued the Lions.
“I think Undera have had players out; they’ve had to forfeit a game, so I think they’ve struggled like we have with injuries,” Hill said.
“Hopefully, the girls can come with the right mindframe to play hard netball.”
Meanwhile, Lancaster not only received the present of personnel, but a handy gift from lower on the table Nagambie.
The Lakers sprung an upset on Shepparton East, leaving the Eagles two games adrift of the Wombats in second spot and making a minor premiership tilt all the more improbable.
Girgarre was happy to take advantage as well, kicking off another streak of wins and moving level with East by edging past Dookie United 53-50.
While Nagambie happily notched its seventh win to remain in top four contention, so too did Violet Town, finally putting an end to its season-threatening skid of defeats with a powerful 59-24 win over lowly Rushworth.
Stanhope got on the better end of a recent inconsistent run of form this time around, staying within the finals fringes after defeating Murchison-Toolamba 41-40.
The 3-8 Hoppers have now suffered three agonising defeats in their past four games by margins of three goals or less.
Tallygaroopna was able to move to 20 points and shore up consecutive wins for the first time in a good while by dispatching Merrigum 43-22, while Undera savoured victory in a cellar-dwelling clash with Longwood, comfortably prevailing 60-38.
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