The opening round of the Kyabram District League A-grade season dished up plenty of surprise results on Saturday.
Rushworth spoiled Sharne Milne’s coaching debut for Murchison-Toolamba with a nail-biting 40-38 triumph.
In a tense final quarter, Rushworth was able to find some fuel in the tank and held off the fast-finishing Grasshoppers.
Rushworth coach Sarah West said she was over the moon with the performance from her charges in the round one contest at home.
“It was an amazing effort. To watch the girls dig deep and find something to keep going was just amazing,” she said.
“We were up for most of the match and then Murch came back at us. We made a few turnovers and instead of dropping our heads, the girls pushed through.
“I spoke at the start of the season about wanting our group to find that belief and it was great to see them have that belief in their game.”
West applauded the efforts of her side’s goalers Janelle Doolan and youngster Jordan Miller.
The Tigers’ mentor praised Miller’s performance in her maiden A-grade appearance.
“Jordan was on debut and she held her own in goals. Her confidence grew as the game went on,” West said.
Elsewhere, Stanhope chalked up an upset win over Merrigum.
The Lions’ manic pressure across the court was a highlight of the stirring 33-27 salute at home.
“It was a fantastic win. The adrenaline was pumping and the match was played at a really fast tempo,” first-year Stanhope mentor Felicity Hall said.
“Our midcourters, especially Katie Power and Rhylee Prescott, dominated and created turnovers which allowed for plenty of drive into our goalers.
“Our goal-attack Zahlia Burril-Grinton shot really well but her pace and speed opened up and created lots of space for her teammates.”
Around the courts, Nagambie kicked off its campaign with a stellar win over Avenel.
The Lakers looked in total control on their home deck and ran away with a 66-35 victory.
Goalers Rylee Alderton and Sharni Lloyd worked well as a duo and benefited from the superb defensive work from their teammates up the court.
Meanwhile, Shepparton East got the job done on the road.
The Eagles blitzed their rivals Dookie United to the tune of 27 goals.
The round one 61-34 victory sets the Eagles up nicely for next week’s contest against Violet Town.
The Towners also got on the board with a win after they pencilled in a dominant 65-33 performance over Longwood.
Tallygaroopna picked up where they left off in 2021 with a 58-16 win over Undera.
Lastly, Lancaster prevailed over Girgarre by five goals on Sunday afternoon.
The Wombats triumphed 34-29.