Netball has finally returned for the Riverina League and there was plenty of action across the region.
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Down at Leeton Showground, the Crows had a welcomed win to open their season.
Returning coach Katie Graham said it was exciting to see the side out on court.
Struggling to get wins on the board last year, Graham said there is a positive feeling around the club coming into the season.
A round one win was just a cherry on their cake.
"I look back to the start of our pre-season and I'm like that feels so long ago but I don't really know where the time went, the season came around really quickly," Graham said.
"The vibe in our club this year is really good, everyone seems to be really enjoying themselves, it's got a really positive feel about it."
Starting as strong on the court as Graham could have hoped for, Graham admitted the flow down court wasn't to her liking early in the piece.
Rearranging players through the game, she was thrilled with how well the girls responded to feedback, adjusting their games in real time.
It's a skill she thinks will fare them well.
"We started well, but we had some issues in attack, it just wasn't really flowing, and we had some issues in our transition from defence down to attack when we got some intercept turnovers," she said.
"I made some positional changes, I rolled some different people on court with the rolling subs in the second quarter and that really made a big difference, which was good.
"We had a bit of a chat at half time, we were only up by one and it sort of all just came together in the second half really.
"Nothing's more frustrating as a coach when you're repeating yourself during the breaks about the issues that we've got on the court and we're not able to fix it, but we were able to make some good changes, and most of all the girls just kept fighting for the game."
Impressed with the defensive pressure they had across the court all afternoon, Graham said it paid off for the side in turnovers through the second half.
Capitalising on those turnovers put them in the best position to extend their leave.
Shooters Maddy Routley and Amelia Irvin were particularly strong at the shooting end.
Their first game working together, Graham is hopeful it is just the start of a beautiful shooting relationship.
Sophie Cross moving the ball into the ring for them from wing attack was also a key performer, with strong vision down the court.
Setting themselves up for what they hope is an improved year, Graham would like to have that winning feeling again.
"A win always feels good, but it's definitely a bit sweeter when it's round one," she said.
Coolamon carry last year's dominance into first game of the year
A front runner all through the 2023 season, Coolamon hit the ground running on Sunday with a 31-goal win over rivals Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong.
While the side looks very similar to the one that took the court in last year's preliminary final, there was a smattering of new faces in the cohort in their 64-33 win.
Co-coach Kirsty Lowe appears to have utilised her connections to Charles Sturt University with Courtney Hagedoorn and Olivia Henzen making the cross-league move.
Henzen returns to the court after not playing in 2023.
Also moving into the team this week from the Farrer League is 2022 Temora A grade player Ainsely McGrath.
Ganmain coach Brooke Tilyard built herself a new team this year, and had anticipated they make take a while to warm up on court.
Riverina League results, round one
Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes 60 d Griffith 57
Leeton-Whitton 53 d Narrandera 41
Wagga Tigers 48 d Turvey Park 31
Coolamon 64 d Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong 33