Bairnsdale Football Netball Club’s under 18 girls began their season with an impressive victory over arch-rival Traralgon in round one of the Female Football Gippsland competition.
The reigning premiers, with new coach Lydia Gudgin at the helm, started strongly with two unanswered goals in the first quarter. They were seriously challenged by the Maroons in the second term but dug deep to maintain a 10-point advantage at the long break.
The third quarter became a defensive stalemate as both sides struggled for deep forward entries, with the respective half-back lines dominating play and restricting each team to just a single point for the term.
With the game on the line in the final quarter, it was the Redlegs who found the answers. Buoyed by a vocal home crowd, Bairnsdale kicked two goals while keeping Traralgon scoreless to run out 23-point winners.
Among the best players for the Redlegs were Jemma Martin, Jasmin O’Connor, Lucy Carroll, Charlotte Richardson, Sadie Stevens, and Tahlia Chila. It was an ideal start to the campaign for the defending champions,
who return to their home deck this week to host the Morwell Tigers on Sunday at noon.
