A TRIPLE treat in Bendigo was just what the fans were after as the six Victorian country sides descended on Queen Elizabeth Oval last weekend. Across a full day of action on Sunday, Gippsland Power, Murray Bushrangers and Dandenong Stingrays all came away with four points having defeated their respective opponents.

We took note of some of the players who caught the eye outside the already analysed content.

Bendigo Pioneers 4.8 (32) def. by Gippsland Power 10.3 (63)

>> PLAYER FOCUS: Lacey Nihill (Bendigo Pioneers)

Gippsland Power proved too strong through the middle two quarters – with seven goals to two – to power away from Bendigo Pioneers as the big guns on either side stood up. Both teams have some top-end talent and then an even spread across the board which was reflected on the day.

Lacey Nihill starred in defeat and was our Player Focus, while her teammates Issy Boulton and Beth Morris had cases to be next best on after big performances. Over-ager Boulton rotated between attack and midfield and just finds the ball with ease, racking up 30 disposals and laying 15 tackles, while having six clearances and two goals. Morris on the other end showed her inside presence with 12 tackles from 28 disposals, eight clearances and four inside 50s.

It was no surprise to see Morris’ hands in close really standing out, while Georgia Garlick spent less time on-ball compared to her trio of Pioneers teammates, but featured at different points, with the next highest possession tally of 13, with nine tackles. Garlick also has that touch of class off her left side.

For Gippsland, the Power have such an even contribution outside their top two stars, but it was no surprise to see the one-two punch of Grace Dillow and Lily Milner really impressing. Dillow had 25 disposals, eight clearances and laid seven tackles rotating between midfield and attack, while Milner did stacks of damage up forward with three goals, while still having predominant on-ball minutes.

Over-ager Acacia Sutton made a move from a pure forward to a midfielder-forward, and finished with 19 disposals, five marks, two clearances, three inside 50s and four rebound 50s, while still kicking a couple of goals. Mia Smith-Clark was hard to miss as a dangerous forward, nailing three goals from her eight touches in a game that was played a lot between the arcs.

Murray Bushrangers 9.12 (66) def. GWV Rebels 5.4 (34)

>> HEAD-TO-HEAD: Camela Perri (Murray Bushrangers) vs. Milly Shortal (GWV Rebels)

Murray Bushrangers kicked off the season with an impressive 32-point win despite missing their star spearhead Majella Day and bottom-age gun Evie Henley. Instead, it was Carmela Perri who had a field day, with the ball-winning midfielder racking it up and her performance – alongside GWV’s best in Milly Shortal‘s – was detailed in the head-to-head from the game.

Beyond Perri, another high-end bottom-ager in Charlie Gibson stood out, really taking hold of her new midfield role, racking up 24 disposals, seven marks and five inside 50s, making the transition from Under 16s midfielder to now Under 18s midfielder.

Vic Country hub members Skylah McPherson and Eliza Roche also transformed from forwards into midfielder-forwards, combining for 35 disposals, 19 tackles, nine clearances, six inside 50s and three goals in the win. Allies-tied Rose Bell was steadfast in defence with 16 touches, four marks, nine tackles and five rebound 50s to keep the Rebels’ attack at bay.

Working in tandem with Shortal through the midfield, fellow Vic Country hub member Lila Evans caught the eye with a contested performance of 24 disposals, seven clearances, seven tackles and four inside 50s in defeat. She was a clear next-best for the Rebels, though you cannot discount Ivy Roberts who looked good moving between midfield and attack, while Tilly Stringer (18 disposals, 13 tackles) brought the heat as well.

Dandenong Stingrays 9.8 (62) def. Geelong Falcons 3.5 (23)

>> ROLE CHANGE FOCUS: Scarlett Marsh (Dandenong Stingrays)

Despite a lot of change over the off-season, Dandenong Stingrays showed they are still going to be around the mark with a flexing win over Geelong Falcons. After a tight first quarter, the Stingrays kicked eight goals to two for the remaining three quarters to come away with the 39-point victory. Defender-turned midfielder Scarlett Marsh was a standout and was detailed in the above player focus.

Dandenong had a well-balanced group across the board with skipper Marlee Black leading the way in attack with 14 disposals and four marks, but was just a little wayward on goal with three behinds. She constantly brought the energy though, and allowed the likes of Jasmine Whitten and Molly Reimers to stand out, the latter of whom had a massive fourth term of eight disposals and two goals.

Another over-ager who really shone on her typical wing was Charlotte Gilmore who helped herself to 19 disposals and ran the opposition ragged. She will be hoping to push for a Preseason Draft spot with some nice early form, while another defender-turned-midfielder like Marsh in Zoe Zach looked comfortable around the stoppages.

Tall defender Gabrielle Mehrmann and debutant Ebony Stevenson – the younger sister of Stasia – both were among the better players, while bottom-age duo Lily Brittain and Ella Bologa were fantastic in their respective halves. Each have an enormous amount of hurt factor with their disposals.

For the Falcons, there were few surprises as Ava Bilyk and Greea McKeegan were their side’s best, as teh Vic Country hub members looked good through teh middle and up forward respectively. Bilyk had 21 disposals, five marks, five tackles, five clearances, four inside 50s and kicked a goal – and really should have had two – often sneaking clear of opponents very smartly. McKeegan provided her aerial presence in the front half wiht five marks and seven inside 50s from 24 disposals, while also getting her hands dirty, laying nine tackles.

Others who caught the eye included bottom-agers, midfielder Jemma Andrews (19 disposals, six tackles, four clearances, four inside 50s and two rebound 50s) and defender Holly Confoy (15 disposals, two marks, three tackles and three inside 50s).

Former Suns Academy member Ksenia Dear – who is still a bottom-ager – made a promising debut of 20 disposals, 10 tackles, three clearances, three inside 50s and two rebound 50s, making her mark as one to watch over the next 18 months.