The opening round of the 2023 Limestone Coast Women’s Football League featured a mauling by two of the big cat teams, with North Gambier and Mundulla having huge wins.

The round kicked off on Sunday at Vansittart Park in sunny conditions, with four games played back to back.

A couple of players started the season kicking a bag of goals, with North Gambier’s Alice Tentye kicking seven and Mundulla’s Erin Horsnell scoring five.

The first game got under way between Kongorong and Millicent and it was a goalless quarter for both teams in a great contest.

At the first change Kongorong had a three-point lead but had some stiff opposition to handle.

Into the second term of play Kongorong made the most of going forward, kicking three majors in what was almost a one-sided affair, but Millicent fought back to show some grit.

At the major break it was still Kongorong holding a good lead of 25 points.

In the third term Kongorong still held the ascendancy kicking a further two goals with Millicent getting their first major on the board, but it was still Kongorong that held the lead by 32 points at the last break.

Kongorong’s players found space all over the park, creating opportunities which gave them chances to score up forward and kick two goals while holding Millicent scoreless. In the end it was a good win for Kongorong by 46 points.

The Hawks’ better players were Nikki Clayton, Zara Dirk, Sarah Lucas, Stevi Clayton and Jade Longbottom while for Millicent it was Meredith Turner, Lilly Hateley, Kelsie Cockrum, Alannah Pratt and Michelle Robinson.

CASTERTON SANDFORD v KYBYBOLITE

Casterton-Sandford and Kybybolite played in the second match of the day and both teams were hesitant in the first term trying to match up and gain possession.

There was a lot of contested ball which made play very scrappy and reflected the scoreline at the end of the term with Casterton-Sandford the only one to get a score on the board and lead by a solitary two points.

After the first change Casterton-Sandford made the most of the play going forward to snag a goal and extend the lead to 10 points while also kicking two points in the process and keeping their opposition scoreless.

It was a tough contest for both teams, but Kybybolite did not drop their heads and dug deep to keep in touch with Casterton-Sandford, only trailing by 10 points at the main break.

Into the third term and neither team managed to find the six pointers but Casterton-Sandford were the only ones to trouble the scoreboard by kicking three points and extending the score.

At the final break it was the Casterton-Sandford side with a lead of 13 points.

The last quarter was a better one for Kybybolite, kicking a goal to draw closer and narrow the deficit early in the term.

Kybybolite really had taken the bit between the teeth and showed they could play some football and held Casterton-Sandford scoreless, but it was too little too late and they fell short at the final siren by five points.

Casterton-Sandford’s better players were Carlie Smith, Amelia Thomas, Chloe Finnegan and Libby Altorfer while Kyby named Ella Jones, Jedah Huf, Taylor Ryan and Zara East.

MUNDULLA V SOUTH GAMBIER

Mundulla took on South Gambier in a one-sided game in which last year’s grand finalist would have been completely stunned by the outcome.

It was a total domination right from the start for Mundulla, kicking six goals without answer.

South Gambier could not match it with the rampant Mundulla side which was out to prove a point and take a stranglehold of the game.

At the first change it was a 41-point lead held by Mundulla while South Gambier had not registered on the scoreboard.

The second quarter action saw Mundulla on fire kicking another seven unanswered goals, refusing to allow the opposition to gain traction.

At the main break Mundulla had command of the game by 85 points, leaving South Gambier pondering how to try to get back in the game.

In the second half Mundulla did not take the foot off the pedal, kicking a further six goals to extend the lead out by 123 points and leaving South Gambier flat footed.

In true South Gambier style the side refused to give up despite being unable to find the goals.

In the last term Mundulla continued to dominate, kicking another seven unanswered goals and stamping their authority on the season by running out winners by 168 points.

Casey McElroy, Kellsey Hinge, Erin Horsnell, Natasha Horne and Natalie Twigden were named as better players for Mundulla while gallant in defeat South Gambier named Sophie Wight, Jarrah Altschwager, Ella Guest, Billie Cater and Chloe Lines.

NORTH GAMBIER V KALANGADOO

The final match of the round saw North Gambier take on Kalangadoo in a very one-sided affair, with North taking the win by 147 points.

The home team burst out of the blocks with a goal in the first minute of play, going on to kick six goals without an answer from Kalangadoo, which set up the game in the first quarter.

At the first change it was North Gambier in command and with a lead of 44 points the game was in hand.

In the second term North increased the lead by kicking five goals and holding the opposition scoreless but Kalangadoo did not give up, throwing their bodies at the ball.

At the major break the home team had a lead of 78 points with their players gelling well and displaying plenty of support for each other.

The third term did not get any better for Kalangadoo with North piling on another three goals and also finding the behinds on many occasions.

North had a 101 point lead at the final break, and although Kalangadoo was completely dominated by North in the final term, they held their heads high while going down by a large margin.

Better players for the winners were Alice Tentye, Luca Roulstone, Paris Ackland and Maddy Bonanno and for Kalangadoo it was Abby Thompson, Amanda Bowd, Jessica Stone and Ebony Wurst.