Benalla coach Jo Toms is seeking incremental improvements in her side’s game in the wake of a tough defeat against one of the Goulburn Valley League’s flag fancies.
The A-grade Saints trekked to Mooroopna on Saturday, taking on a starry Cats outfit which walked off the court 69-24 victors over Toms’ charges.
Rather than stewing on the loss, Benalla’s mentor chose to focus on the areas which need sharpening following a “tough and hot” day out.
“We had plenty of the play, I suppose just poor choices in passing and the little basics that we need to tighten up and learn to be able to string our passages of play from one end to the other consistently,” she said.
“Obviously the score is quite demanding as such, but it doesn’t feel that bad on court.
“We’ve got a lot of improvement to come which is exciting - it can only get better.”
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Leading from the back: Benalla's Jo Toms. Photo by Liam NashImage 2 of 7
Scanning: Benalla's Jordie Willcock. Photo by Liam NashImage 3 of 7
Under the ring: Benalla's Ella Sheehan. Photo by Liam NashImage 4 of 7
Shutting down: Mooroopna's Taylah Lloyd leaps to block a Benalla goal attempt. Photo by Liam NashImage 5 of 7
Pick out: Benalla's Alex Davies. Photo by Liam NashImage 6 of 7
Pass and move: Mooroopna's Chloe Muelenmeister. Photo by Liam NashImage 7 of 7
Young gun: Mooroopna's Rhani Hendy. Photo by Liam NashMooroopna shot to a 15-7 lead at quarter-time as goal shooter Ashley Lancaster proved a handful for Benalla defenders Jacqueline Foster and Meg Morrison, and in the second quarter, the Saints had trouble feeding into the circle with just three goals for the term.
Natalie Pritchard and Alex Davies worked together harmoniously in the second half to drive the Saints on, but the Cats maintained their free-scoring ways to build the lead further.
The hosts outscored Benalla 15-6 in the fourth quarter to close out a hard day for Toms’ outfit, with the coach lauding the performances of Davies, Morrison and Foster.
Considering the fresh make-up of the Saints this season, Toms knows each game will help her side gel moving forward.
“Look, we’ve got a long way to go but I think we’ve started really well,” she said.
“It’s a fairly new-look team; while most of us have played together, we’ve got defenders, centre court and shooters that are all new.
“So we are still getting to know each other as such. We didn’t get an opportunity for a lot of pre-season match play, but it’s coming together nicely.”
Benalla’s next chance to improve arrives on Saturday, when the Saints host a 1-1 Shepparton United side with Toms hoping to see smarter on-court decision making.
“We need to fill each of the passing lanes and not crowd the space. When we crowd the space we have held ball, and we don’t make the best choices,” she said.
“Owning our own lanes and having three leads at three separate times will help us greatly.”