LOCKINGTON-Bamawm United's season has gained further traction following an impressive 25-goal win over HDFNL netball rival Mount Pleasant on Saturday.
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The Cats - led by another outstanding shooting performance by Jessie Hardess - made it two straight wins with a stirring 62-37 win at Lockington.
It was just what a big crowd on hand for LBU's past players' day had hoped for, as the Cats A-graders joined the senior footballers on the winner's list.
Five weeks into the 2024 HDFNL season, the new-look Cats, bolstered by several recruits, have already exceeded last year's win tally.
Their 2-3 record has them placed sixth on the ladder, level on two wins with fifth-placed Colbinabbin, their opponent in round seven following a bye in round six.
Elsewhere, the ladder continued to take shape, as White Hills (5-0) and Elmore (4-0) kept their unbeaten records intact with respective wins over North Bendigo and Heathcote.
The Demons defeated the Bulldogs 59-38 at Atkins Street, while the Bloods were convincing 69-37 winners over the Saints at Elmore.
Close against the reigning premiers last week in a 61-59 loss to White Hills, Colbinabbin earned its second win of the season in a 61-28 victory over Huntly.
The win was highlighted by the return of triple-league medallist Olivia McEvoy, who seamlessly slotted back into the midcourt, in an encouraging sign for the Grasshoppers' fortunes.
Cullen, who remained on the bench all game as her players around her took care of business, praised a near four quarter performance by the Cats in one of their biggest wins margin-wise in recent seasons.
"We did have a bit of a quiet third quarter (won 13-9 by Mounts), but the last quarter was amazing, shooting over 20 goals," she said.
"Jessie (Hardess) shot 40 for the game and was our best on court.
"It was nice to just sit and coach from the sidelines. Nearly everything was working out on court, so I felt I didn't need to change or mess with things.
"I thought we were really switched on from the start. We had a really good training on Thursday night and that really set us up.
"I've always believed that if you train well, you play well."
In a strong all-round team effort, Georgia McGowan was another standout at wing defence.
One of the Cats' recruits this season, McGowan - from Echuca United - won praise from her coach for taking on and adjusting to a new role within the team.
"Georgia normally plays goal defence or goal keeper, but we have been transitioning her to being more of a wing defence," she said.
"She was super-disciplined and brought the ball down court really well and was excellent with her communication.
"It was a great game from her."
The only downside, according to Cullen, is next weekend's bye, which she hopes won't halt the momentum built up in back-to-back wins.
Bloods dispose of another finals contender
At Elmore, co-coach Gabe Richards praised her side's effort across the board in a 32-goal win over Heathcote.
On a day when the club marked its 150th anniversary and 60 years of its netball program, the Bloods set the tone for a commanding performance in front of a big crowd with a 20-8 opening quarter.
In a perfect warm-up for next week's heavyweight showdown against White Hills, the Bloods won every quarter to round out an ultra-impressive win.
"It was a really pleasing day for us. Everyone played well and it just flowed really nicely," Richards said.
"It was an awesome day for the club - it was really special.
"The 150th celebration (on Saturday night) was just an incredible effort by a lot of people to put it all together, with the memorabilia and the Q&A and the dinner. There was over 300 people, which was unbelievable.
"It felt very special to be a part of."
On the court, Richards said the return of players, who either missed last season (including co-coach Allira Holmes), or missed games early in the season, had significantly strengthened the line-up and resolve at Elmore.
"Having Allira back obviously helps immensely, but just having played together, the disappointment of last year has really lit a fire under some people," she said.
"We know that we have to improve if we are to compete for a flag, but that's what is happening.
"It was really hard to pick best players (on Saturday), everybody played so well."
Among the most prominent were defender Holmes and centre Andrea Wilson, who returned to the side last week against Leitchville-Gunbower.
The Bloods, who have a 3-0 record so far against teams currently in the five, will have to made do without Richards for a while, with the star goal shooter headed overseas this week.
In other round six games next weekend, Huntly hosts North Bendigo with both teams chasing their first win; Leitchville-Gunbower makes the trek to Heathcote to take on the Saints; and Mount Pleasant clashes with Colbinabbin at Toolleen.
