IT'S by no means meant as a warning, more of an observation - but Kangaroo Flat coach Jayden Cowling feels there is still plenty of room for improvement in his star-studded team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Roos have been in absolute punishing form to start the 2021 BFNL season, posting a pair of 40-plus goal wins in the opening two rounds.
Fresh from a 41 goal victory over Eaglehawk a fortnight ago, Kangaroo Flat, led by their skipper Chelsea Sartori and defensive recruit Carly Van Den Heuvel, was even more ruthless in notching up a 58 goal win against Kyneton last Saturday.
The Roos are showing no obvious signs of weakness, with their defence conceding a league-lowest 44 goals, while the shooting tandem of Annie Spear and recruit Abbey Ryan has put up a league-best 143 goals (eight more than Sandhurst, with both sides now having played two games).
Cowling insists a better gauge of his team's strength will become evident over the next two weeks, with the Roos preparing for back-to-back matches against a pair of premiership contenders.
The Roos will this weekend make the tough trip to Gisborne for a clash against the 2-0 Bulldogs, while reigning premier Sandhurst awaits in round four on May 1.
Speaking after his side's imposing 75-18 win over Kyneton, Cowling was adamant there were parts of their game the Roos needed to focus on.
"We do have a lot of work to do, we do have a lot of new combos all the way through the court, so there are things like throwing away a few passes that we shouldn't be that we have to work on," he said.
"There are other things we need to build on too. Yes, we did have a 58 goal win, but there are always things you can work on and are in need of improvement."
One area of the Roos' game Cowling is keen to address is their first quarters.
Far from ordinary, or even average, Kangaroo Flat led both Eaglehawk and Kyneton by just a few goals at quarter time, before opening up a decisive advantage in the second term.
"I think we have been focusing a bit more on the other team than ourselves in the first quarters the last couple of weeks," he said.
"We have spoken about how we fix that for next week as we do have two tough games coming up.
"We can't afford to have slow starts against the likes of Gisborne and Sandhurst, so that will be a focus at training this week."
After her eye-catching debut the previous week against Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat was without star defensive recruit Laura McDonald on Saturday.
This allowed Ingrid Hopkins the chance to step up from A-reserve and she rewarded the Roos with a solid second half at goal defence.
Cowling could not be happier with his side's 2-0 start to the season, in particular, the work of his defensive unit, which conceded just 18 goals against the Tigers and a mere seven of them in the second half.
"We've talked about our turnover conversion rate and in that third quarter we gained 11 turnovers and we converted all 11 of them. That's been a focus for us," he said.
"The defenders have been getting plenty of ball, it's a matter of our attack converting and that's what they have been doing.
"Gisborne this week is going to be a big test for us."
Best on-court for the Roos on Saturday was their captain Sartori, who split duties with Ashley Ryan at centre and wing attack.
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.