The Bendigo Pioneers under-18 girls produced a record-breaking performance in Sunday's NAB League clash with Gippsland at Epsom.
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The Pioneers set a club record for highest score and biggest margin in the 8.15 (63) to 0.1 (1) win, while classy forward Elizabeth Snell became the first under-18 girls player in the club's short history to kick five goals in a game.
The victory lifted the Pioneers into sixth place on the NAB League ladder with four rounds remaining.
"The girls were terrific again today,'' Pioneers under-18 girls coach Shawn McCormick said.
"After half-time they converted their opportunities in front of goal and the backline was outstanding again.
"It was a really good win."
The Pioneers were wayward in the first half, kicking just two goals from 14 scoring shots, but it was different story after the break.
With Snell firing inside forward 50, the Pioneers kicked 6.3, while the Power's only score for the day was a point late in the final quarter.
"Snell had the freedom to roam around the forward line and she was very good at ground level,'' McCormick said.
Centre half-forward Hannah Stewart was best on ground in a performance McCormick described as "complete".
Midfielders Brooke Hards and Maeve Tupper continued their superb seasons, while McCormick said the entire backline deserved "special praise".
After struggling to be competitive in the first season of the compeition in 2018, the Pioneers have a 3-2 record after five matches this year.
"It's been a slow burn for us,'' McComrick said.
"Last year we deliberately started with a lot of bottom age girls that had come from other sporting backgrounds and they needed to get some football nourishment into them by playing games.
"Slowly but surely we're starting to improve.
"Out of the side that played today only five of them are top age players.
"We'd have eight or nine players that have one more season to go and then another six or seven that have two more years in the competition.
"Like any good program, whether it be club footy or community footy, you're trying to think about the now, but you're also thinking about the future so that you have players coming through.
"The longer they play footy and more games they get into them, the better they're going to be."
The Pioneers under-18 girls are back on home turf next Sunday against Dandenong.
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