POSITIVITY surrounds Golden Square following the Bulldogs' first BFNL A-grade netball win in three years, but coach Chris O'Sullivan has warned the hard work is only starting.
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The Bulldogs snapped a 39-game losing streak with a 40-36 victory against Castlemaine at Camp Reserve last Saturday.
It was their first win since late in the COVID-shortened 2021 season over Kyneton.
A stirring victory was achieved the hard way, with the Bulldogs finding themselves six goals down at half time.
But a brilliant 16-7 third quarter gave them not only the lead, but the ascendancy going into the final term.
Having been denied for so long, the Bulldogs were not about to let their grip on the contest go, slightly extending their lead in the last quarter for an upset four goal win.
The only downside for O'Sullivan was that he was not there to savour the win alongside his players.
With the coach on a long-ago booked vacation in Bali, the Bulldogs' director of coaching Teigan Redwood took the reins for the drought-breaking victory.
Back on Australian soil this week, O'Sullivan said the momentum for their success against the Magpies had definitely been building throughout the first few weeks of the season.
The Bulldogs were gallant in defeat against Eaglehawk in round one and had finished their round two encounter full of running with an 18-goal final quarter against Strathfieldsaye, after posting only 18 in the first three quarters.
O'Sullivan, who is in his first year at the helm of the Bulldogs, said a comeback win had only added to an already strong vibe around Wade Street.
"The girls were pretty excited, as you could imagine," he said.
"They FaceTimed me while I was over in Bali and were definitely enjoying themselves after the win.
"I thought it (the win) had been building.
"Against Eaglehawk we had two good quarters, and then two more against Strath. I would say we had three and a half against Castlemaine.
"We're definitely building, but more importantly, we are not going backwards.
"If we can get to putting out four good quarters a week, regardless of the outcome, I'll be pleased."
A win has brought no real respite for the Bulldogs, who are entering the toughest stretch of their first half of their season, with a trio of games against competition heavyweights Kangaroo Flat, Gisborne and Sandhurst up next.
O'Sullivan is banking on a combination of newfound confidence and general improvement among the playing group to keep things competitive.
"If we can play our own game and build these next three games without getting demolished, I think we will come out stronger on the other side," he said.
"There are definitely positive signs - hopefully we can build on it."
The first of those big three tests will be this Saturday against Kangaroo Flat, which bounced back from a round one loss against Sandhurst to beat South Bendigo by 33 goals last week.
O'Sullivan has witnessed just how damaging the Roos can be during previous umpiring stints, and is under no illusion as to how tough the Bulldogs' task will be on Saturday.
"They are a quality team and will be hard to get over the top of, but if we can keep our structure and stick to our own goals and mindset, and what we believe are realistic achievements, we can still walk away with a positive," he said.
"You just don't know what will happen on the day. You do have to be optimistic.
"But there is a really upbeat vibe around the place, and it has been said from other people around the league that they are excited to watch us this year.
"And people who have been at our club for years are excited to see how the girls have gelled.
"The Gallagher girls (Jasmin and Rylee) and Mia (McCrann-Peters) have really stepped up the intensity at training and given our girls a taste of what that next level is like."
The Bulldogs will be without one of their promising youngsters for the next two weeks, with Keira Lawry away representing Australia at the world kettlebell championships in Nyborg, Denmark.
Golden Square's improvement has not gone unnoticed elsewhere around the league, in particular at Dower Park, where Roos coach Jayden Cowling is expecting a tough clash without defensive midcourter Milly Wicks (foot injury) and Ava Lowndes (overseas).
"Winning their first game for three years, they are going to come out firing," Cowling said.
"They have Mia and Jas, who are part of the Strikers, and have definitely boosted their talent base.
"We have a lot of players out across the grades this weekend ... 12 ... so it's going to be tough, but that gives us a chance to give some girls some new opportunities.
"But Golden Square being on the rise is what we want in our league."
Star midcourter Ash Ryan will play her 50th club game for Kangaroo Flat.
In other games, Gisborne (1-0) faces a danger game against South Bendigo (1-2) at Harry Trott Oval.
While the reigning premiers looked impressive in beating Sandhurst by four goals in their round one grand final rematch, the Bloods have fared well against the Bulldogs in recent times, defeating them by four goals in round 17 last year at Gisborne, and by one goal at the QEO in 2022.
At Canterbury Park, Eaglehawk (1-1) and Castlemaine (1-1) will be looking to bounce back from round three losses to Strathfieldsaye and Golden Square respectively.
