A SERIOUS injury to midcourt recruit Amanda Walters has soured HDFNL netball heavyweight White Hills' second win of the 2024 season.
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Walters, who had joined the Demons this season from BFNL club South Bendigo, sustained a broken leg in the final quarter of her new club's clash against Mount Pleasant at Scott Street.
The game was halted as Walters was forced to wait at least an hour for an ambulance to arrive.
She was taken to Bendigo Health, where she underwent further tests and x-rays on Saturday night and Sunday.
The game was abandoned with a little over seven minutes left on the clock, giving the Demons a convincing 56-22 win.
White Hills triple premiership coach Lauren Bowles said the thoughts of players and everyone at the Demons were with Walters, who had been one of the side's best against the Blues.
"It was a horrible outcome," Bowles said.
"Horrific, awful, totally not pleasant. We haven't exactly heard which bones, but we are thinking both tib and fib, but that hasn't been confirmed.
"Despite the excruciating pain, she coped amazingly. I don't know how she laid there and waited for an hour for the ambulance to arrive.
Burton experienced a similarly long wait before being transported to hospital.
"There wasn't really too much in Amanda's landing; there wasn't anyone around her and it wasn't a heavy landing - it was kind of just straight up and down.
"But it was horrific, that's for sure.
"A massive credit to Mount Pleasant, they were just so accommodating and caring. We were so lucky to have some of their nurses help us.
"There was no way we could move her off the court and they were happy to end the game if we were.
"Mounts had a lady, who works in emergency. She was extremely helpful, so Wal was in good hands."
Bowles said the serious issue had put a damper on an otherwise positive move to White Hills by Walters, a Holborn medallist as the BFNL's A-reserve league best and fairest in 2019.
"Up until that point, she was playing some amazing netball and so was the team," she said.
"Hopefully we regroup pretty quickly. It was one of those things that was horrific to see and sad to be a part of and would probably have left a few players on both sides shaken.
"It was only her second game, but she was really enjoying it.
"She had come over to play with some friends and was really enjoying her netball.
"There was no doubt she was going to be a real asset for us."
A 34-goal win cemented the Demons as one of four unbeaten teams in the HDFNL after two rounds.
Bombers flying
Leitchville-Gunbower further underlined its standing as a team to watch this season with an eight-goal win over perennial powerhouse Colbinabbin.
A 54-46 triumph was the Bombers' first win over the Grasshoppers since round 11 of the 2016 season.
Their 2-0 record represents their best start to a season in more than a decade.
Macey Brereton and Ava Hamilton were the Bombers' best against the Grasshoppers.
Elmore was forced to work hard for a 52-41 win against a new-look North Bendigo, with an 18-11 opening quarter proving a key to the outcome.
Heathcote backed up its impressive round one win against Mount Pleasant with a 12-goal triumph over Lockington-Bamawm United.
The Saints will play Colbinabbin next weekend, with the Grasshoppers still looking for their first win, despite not being far off the Bloods and Bombers in rounds one or two.
Apart from Walters' injury, White Hills was without Shelley DeAraugo, who withdrew due to illness.
Alyssa Cole and Karley Hynes combined well in the goal circle, while Molly Johnston, Amy Morrissey and Sarah Nash were tough to get past in defence.
The injury to Walters has created a vacancy in the Demons' midcourt, with multiple-premiership player Danni Wee-Hee, who played in A-reserve on Saturday, among the candidates to fill the role.
The Demons play LBU next week, before a tough run of games against Colbinabbin, North Bendigo, Elmore, Leitchville-Gunbower and Heathcote in rounds four to eight.
In other games next weekend, Mount Pleasant (0-2) hosts Huntly (0-1) and North Bendigo (0-1) plays Leitchville Gunbower.
Elmore has the bye.
