Blockbuster round of HDFNL netball as heavyweights clash

In likely one of the most even round of matches contested in league history, two of the four games will feature four genuine premiership contenders in White Hills v Colbinabbin and Leitchville-Gunbower v Elmore.

The other two games pit a pair of teams with definite finals hopes and rated by many as similar in strength and potential (Heathcote v North Bendigo), and the two teams closest to each other at the foot of the ladder (Huntly v Lockington-Bamawm United).

It would not be often that the first clash of the season between the previous year's grand finalists is overshadowed - albeit only slightly - but that just might be the case with Saturday's clash at Gunbower between the Bombers and Bloods.

The Caitlyn Hamilton-coached Leitchville-Gunbower has served plenty of early notice of massive improvement in racing to a 3-0 start following wins over LBU, Colbinabbin and North Bendigo.

But this will be by far the Bombers' toughest test to date.

Elmore has engineered its own impressive start to the season with wins over Colbinabbin and North Bendigo and will enter this contest fresh from a bye.

Positively for the Bombers, first-year coach Hamilton is adamant there is still plenty of improvement left in her players, despite their unbeaten status.

After a few lean years for Leitchville-Gunbower, Hamilton said the club was just excited to be involved in such a big game.

"I think mindset is a big one for us, knowing we are able to contest against those top teams and then transferring that into on-court performance," she said.

"Elmore is obviously a very experienced side, but we are just excited to go out there and play.

"We've got nothing to lose and that's how we've been approaching things, taking one week at a time."

While they might only be new to the Bombers and the HDFNL, Hamilton and fellow new recruit Claudia Collins, in particular, will be familiar with at least some of the Bloods players through their years spent in the BFNL.

"With (Bloods co-coaches) Gabe (Richards) and Allira (Holmes), they are very strong at both ends of the court," she said.

"Gabe is obviously a key. You need to stop the flow to her higher up in the court and try and get that pressure on right from the centre pass, because once it gets to the circle edge into Gabe, you can't really stop her.

"That's our aim. Either way, it will be a good test to see where we are at. The same with White Hills in a few weeks' time."

For White Hills, a clash against the Grasshoppers will be the first in a tough run of matches over the next month and a bit, encompassing North Bendigo, Elmore, Leitchville-Gunbower and Heathcote.

With the Grasshoppers having only broken through for their first win of the season last weekend against Heathcote, Demons coach Lauren Bowles warned they would be hellbent on trying to avoid an uncharacteristic 1-3 start to the season.

She fully expects Colbinabbin to also be seeking redemption for last year's grand final loss.

"They will be very hungry for a win. They are obviously a very young side and we know what they are capable of," Bowles said.

"I'm sure they will be looking to stay on that winner's list and continue to track in the right direction for the rest of the season."

Bowles said there were plenty of positives to emerge from the Demons' hard-fought 56-26 win on the weekend against LBU.

"We were missing Karley Hynes and Amy Morrissey from that line-up, but I was really impressed by girls continuing to step up," she said.

"Sarah Nash played her first game in defence; she's normally a centre/wing defence, but we gave her the challenge and she was absolutely outstanding.

"We were amazing defensively, and we tried a few new things in our attack end.

"To still walk away with 50-odd goals on the board, I was really happy with it."

Coupled with the loss of midcourt recruit Amanda Walters, who broke her leg in the round two win over Mount Pleasant, Bowles has had to make do without her strongest line-up throughout the first three weeks of the season.

She conceded the make-up of her A-grade team was unlikely to become settled until about mid-season.

"We always knew that was coming and it will continue to be that way for a few more weeks to come," Bowles said.

"We've had some new girls come to the club and obviously have some A-reserve girls pushing for A-grade spots.

"We are really working on giving those girls who are performing the opportunities."

Thrilled to have opened their account against the Saints, following sound efforts in brave losses to Elmore and Leitchville-Gunbower, Grasshoppers coach Jen Mcintyre is looking forward to another crack at last year's grand final rival.

"It will be interesting to see where we are at and get a look at them," she said.

"Obviously they are very tall, which troubled us a bit last year, so we'll need to work out how we combat that.

"But we have a bit of a new team and so do they.

"We have Kasey Conder, who's coming back from an ACL, and is only a couple of weeks away, so I suspect we will get stronger as the season wears on.

"I guess you've got to beat the best to be the best, don't you? So that's a challenge against White Hills."

A seemingly weekly test for McIntyre and her players will be avoiding the costly blowouts in their poorer quarters that have marked their losses to the Bloods and Bombers.

In a potential sign they are tracking in the right direction, the Grasshoppers won three quarters against Heathcote and lost just one, the first, but only by one goal.

Entering the weekend in fourth place on the ladder, Heathcote (2-1) will have a chance to put some valuable space between themselves and some key rivals below when they clash with North Bendigo at Barrack Reserve.

This is a game both clubs would be earmarking as a must-win in their bid to play finals this season.

There is no doubt North Bendigo has improved significantly this season, but the Bulldogs would undeniably want something to show for it in the first month of the season other than three losses.

With White Hills, Leitchville-Gunbower and Elmore all unbeaten and Colbinabbin still looking menacing, it's conceivable the Saints and Bulldogs might eventually be battling for the one finals vacancy.

Two teams hoping that is not the case, Huntly (0-2) and Lockington-Bamawm United (0-3) will not only be looking for their first win of the season when they clash on Saturday, but an injection of confidence.

The Hawks and Cats enter the round in ninth and eighth respectively, with designs on kick-starting a rise up the ladder.