BFNL netball: Coach backs Gisborne for quick rebound

Facing Kyneton on Good Friday, the Bulldogs are looking to rebound from a shock 33-goal defeat to the Dragons.

In a major boost, Gisborne will regain star Betty Thompson medallist Maddy Stewart, who missed last Saturday's clash due to a wedding in Tasmania.

While Rymer believes her players would have learned plenty from the defeat, she is prepared to write the result off as just a bad day.

"I'd love to wipe it off - obviously, we were really disappointed with that," she said.

"There's definitely a lot of things to learn from it.

"The takeaways will be the most important thing for us. It's not the brand of netball that we are known for and are good at.

"We expect Sandhurst to be great, as we always say, they are a well-trained unit and they just keep coming at you.

"We just had that five-minute lull in the second quarter, which they capitalised on, and it was all downhill from there for us.

"They just kept piling the pressure on and we made a few mistakes and went a little bit away from our game plan."

READ MORE: Sandhurst fires early warning shot

The Bulldogs debuted two players in round one, with Victorian Fury squad member Claudia Mawson lining up at goal attack, and Kirby Elliott holding down goal defence and later goal keeper alongside Charlotte Crook, in the absence of Stewart and fellow premiership defender Polly Salter (ankle).

Both newcomers shape as keys to the Bulldogs' finals aspirations and will no doubt be eager to get their first win in red, white and blue on the board this week against Kyneton.

The Tigers will also be looking to rebound following a 27-48 loss to a rejuvenated Castlemaine at Camp Reserve last Saturday in what was the Magpies' first win and game in A-grade since 2017.

While the Bulldogs and Tigers have long enjoyed a healthy rivalry, Rymer admitted circumstances over the last two and a bit years meant not a lot was known about this Saturday's opponent.

"We played them last year when we returned from COVID and they were really short on numbers, so we didn't really get a good look at them as a lot of their players played two games," she said.

"The girls will definitely bounce back.

"The biggest thing is they were just a bit flat out there (against Sandhurst), but they can turn that around."

The Tigers will be aiming to snap a four-game losing streak after dropping their last three games in 2021 and this year's season-opener.

South Bendigo 69 d Golden Square 23

Gisborne 33 lost to Sandhurst 66

Castlemaine 48 d Kyneton 27

Kangaroo Flat 66 d Maryborough 28

Strathfieldsaye 41 d Eaglehawk 35

READ MORE: Magpies make triumphant return to BFNL A-grade netball

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