Needing a win to keep touch with the top five, the Hawks overcame a rusty start to hit their straps in the second quarter on the way to a 45-32 triumph at Huntly on Saturday.

It was the second time this season the Bombers have posed a few worries for Huntly, but just what the Hawks desired in their pursuit of a fifth-consecutive finals appearance.

The margin was only nine goals between the two teams earlier in the season.

Only too aware the Hawks can ill-afford many, if any, slip-ups in the final four rounds, Huntly coach Emily Eliades praised her players' fighting spirit against a determined Bombers.

"It took us a while to get going, but once we got going we were okay," she said.

"We were able to get a couple of other (A-reserve) girls on court at the end to help qualify for finals, so it was a good outcome all round.

"We were a bit inconsistent to start with, but that might have had plenty to do with the couple of weeks off and just trying to settle back into the groove of it all.

"But we'll take it. Our third quarter was when we proved our ability to be able to pull away."

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Hawks, who were beaten by Colbinabbin, Mount Pleasant and Elmore before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Eliades believed the foundations for the win were laid in defence, where Shelby Webster, Laura Gillespie and Samantha Nelson combined well and rebounded strongly.

The Hawks' finals chase was aided by a defeat for North Bendigo, which lost to ladder leaders Elmore by 23 goals.

A big next two weeks for Huntly includes make-or-break games against White Hills followed by North Bendigo.

Eliades said her side, which was minus midcourter Taylah Sartori against Leitchville-Gunbower, was up for the challenge.

"We've got the one game down and now we just need to focus on White Hills next week," she said.

"If my calculations are right, we have room to drop only one game, but we'd prefer not to drop any at all."

Meanwhile, top of the ladder Elmore emerged from the lockdown by picking up where it left off against North Bendigo.

The Bloods kept their unblemished record intact by racking up an 11th-straight win, defeating a competitive Bulldogs 66-43.

The margin was four goals less than when the two teams met earlier in the season in June. Elmore won that contest 69-42.

Bloods coach Sue Borserio said a feature of the win was the opportunity to get some playing time into some of her A-reserve players in the event they would be needed at the top-level come finals time.

"It was probably the last half of the last quarter I was able to bring on four fresh players," she said.

"Our A-reserve has a bit of depth, so I was keen to qualify those girls and get a bit more of a look at them and they went really well.

"I thought all the girls did a really great job; we worked a lot at training this week on just basic passing, catching and our timing, which was a big thing given the long break.

"We also went back to playing straight man on man and not much else.

"It was really basic this week, just focusing on what we do well in moving the ball."

A strong and disciplined performance was highlighted by solid contributions all over the court.

Goal defence Tahnee Cannan and goal keeper Kelsey Niven were standouts for the Bloods, while at the other end Gabe Richards won high praise for a dominant game at goal shooter.

"You wouldn't have even noticed Gabe had a few weeks off, like we all did, the way she performed," Borserio said.

"I haven't come across a player, who has such a great disposition and outlook on things.

"She is always smiling on the court and is not fazed if it is her shooting the goals or whether young Abbey Hromenko is shooting. She just wants to win."

The Bulldogs were without Delainey Holmes and will now set their sights on Lockington-Bamawm United next weekend, as they seek to return to the finals for the first time since 2016.

The battle for third spot ahead of finals continued to heat up after Mount Pleasant and White Hills both recorded wins.

Still possessing identical 7-4-1 win-loss, the Blues defeated Heathcote 54-38 in a solid hit-out, while the Demons accounted for LBU 58-10.

The Blues will play Colbinabbin next weekend, while the Demons host Huntly.

Colbinabbin v Mount Pleasant

North Bendigo v Lockington-Bamawm United

White Hills v Huntly

Heathcote v Elmore

Leitchville-Gunbower bye

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