Leitchville-Gunbower has been dealt a blow in the race for finals in the Heathcote District Netball League after suffering a hefty 42-goal loss at the hands of Elmore.
The Bloods are one of the top sides in the competition and they showed why as they hammered the Bombers 73-31 on Saturday.
Leitchville-Gunbower coach Lauren Dehne said it was a frustrating result, one her side was far from happy with.
“I think we walk away disappointed. We wanted to be a lot more competitive than what we were,” Dehne said.
“We started off really well, but once they established a lead we let it get away from us a bit more than we would have liked.
“I have to take some responsibility for that. I tried a few things and they didn’t work, which pushed the score out further than what it would have been.”
Dehne said playing against a top side like Elmore provided a good learning opportunity.
“I love playing against quality opponents. I think you learn so much and it shows you all the things that you can still work on,” she said.
“For us, it’s about valuing every possession and making really smart decisions when we have the ball.
“Gemma Angove is in a real purple patch at the moment. She has had a couple of really good games in a row and she had another good game against Elmore.”
The result has post-season implications for L-G, with the Bombers dropping out of the finals spots and falling behind Lockington-Bamawm United after heading into the weekend in fifth spot.
The contest for the last finals spot is set to go down to the wire. LBU, L-G and Huntly all have 5-9 win-loss records, with the Cats sitting in fifth on percentage with two rounds left to play.
With a crucial two games against White Hills and Heathcote coming up, Dehnse said her side would put the result against Elmore behind it.
“We are pretty good at rebuilding and regrouping,” she said.
“We’ll come together at training. We’ll talk about the game, but then we will move forward. It’s not going to linger for us, we just start again next week.”