Kyneton’s late comeback fell short against Strathfieldsaye in the first round of the Central Victoria Football League Women’s competition.
In the first match of the new competition, the Storm looked the better team early.
The Tigers responded, but not by enough, losing 2.3 (15)-2.10 (22).
Tigers coach Kevin Hall acknowledged that the Storm were the better team all day.
He said the Tigers, one of the more experienced sides in the competition, had wanted to assert their authority early on, but it wasn’t to be.
“We came back strong, but the lead was too big,” he said. “They outclassed us and were a lot fitter than what we are.”
Hall said the positive aspect was awareness of the things that let them down.
“There’s a lot of work to do and we learnt a lot from the game,” he said.
“It’s mainly fitness-based things and some skill areas. We can work on them at training and hopefully we get the results next week and moving forward.”
Hall said midfielders Teagan Ainslie, Emily Taylor and Jenna Davies had good games, along with Natalie Korinfsky, Shannon White and Kylie Munro.
It was a big week for the side, with a coaching change just days out from the start of the season. In a statement, the club said it had parted ways with Paul Rizio because they weren’t on the same page heading forward.
That left Hall to step up from the assistant coaching role.
He said he was excited about taking over and there hadn’t been any disruption in the side’s routines, as he’d been involved throughout the pre-season.
The Kyneton senior men’s side fared no better, also losing to Strathfieldsaye in the third game of the day between the two clubs.
The Tigers led by three points at three-quarter time after a strong third term in which they kept the Storm goalless.
The Storm found another level in the last quarter, kicking five goals to two to nail an 11.13 (79)-8.14 (62) win.
Rhys Magin and Jake Ward kicked two goals apiece for the Tigers, with Garth Bowes and Patrick McCarthy the best for the side.
The Tigers are fifth on the Bendigo Football League ladder, with a win, a draw and a loss.
Gisborne suffered a second straight loss, losing to Eaglehawk.
The Bulldogs held a 26-point lead at half-time against the inaccurate Hawks. The Hawks then found the middle of the sticks and led by a point at the last break after keeping the Bulldogs to a behind.
The Hawks stormed home in the final quarter, kicking nine goals in a 15.18 (108)-9.7 (61) win.
Josh Grabham was named the Bulldogs’
best.
