Sport
14 April, 2026
Hawks fly high with dominant opening round victory
Tatyoon A-Grade netballers have launched their Mininera District Netball League season in emphatic fashion, recording a commanding 64-37 win over Woorndoo Mortlake at Tatyoon Recreation Reserve last Saturday.
The Hawks burst out of the blocks, opening up an 11-goal lead at quarter-time before extending the margin to 21 by half-time. From there, they were never challenged, cruising to a comfortable victory.
Grace Astbury starred in attack with 37 goals at an outstanding 86 per cent accuracy, while Gen Bush added 27 goals at 75 per cent in a strong return to the side.
Hawks coach Megan Ward said the performance exceeded expectations.
“With past history, we were expecting a closer game, but the girls came out with high intensity from the outset and took the game away from them,” she said.
“It was a great team effort.”
Ward singled out Zoe and Alice Astbury for their influence on the game.
“Zoe came back to us this year after a couple of years away and was outstanding at goal keeper and was really strong in the last line of defence,” she said.
“She’s a great on-court leader and the girls look up to her. She played a fantastic game.
“Alice is a fabulous player who directed play across the court and led our midcourt.”
The connection between Grace Astbury and Gen Bush in attack was another highlight, with the pair combining seamlessly despite Bush’s return to the club.
“They’ve played together before, but to see them gel so well straight away was excellent,” Ward said.
“It’s really promising and hopefully it will be a very successful combination.
“Gen is a versatile player, and we’re excited to have her back. We can use her in the goals or in other areas on the court.”
Despite the dominant win, Ward said there were still areas to improve and highlighted their fast start as the biggest positive takeaway.
“In the past we’ve been guilty of slow starts, so the focus was to come out strong and assert ourselves early, and the girls did that, but we need to continue to do that,” she said.
“We still need to fine-tune passages of play and our set plays.
“It can be challenging as the girls don’t always train together, but that will improve with more time.”
Tatyoon will look to continue their strong start when they face Moyston-Willaura Saturday at Moyston Recreation Reserve.
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