So when Tongala and Echuca United met on the weekend, both teams had something to gain from the clash.
Two of the developing sides of the Murray Netball League clashed at Tongala on Saturday afternoon, but it was the Blues who got the chocolates over their local rivals in a 32-goal domination.
Tongala coach Paige Wade, who missed the game for the Blues, said her side was again dominant on the defensive end.
“Our defenders have been brilliant for us so far this year,” she said.
“They've always come out and performed really strongly for our side, and we were really pleased that they were able to do it again.
“Liv Taverna was excellent until she hurt her shoulder, but it appears she is going to be fine so we will continue to see her contribute to the side.
“And Millie Brock was strong in goals again which always makes a big difference in the way we play.”
Echuca United head of netball Chris Day said it was a tough day for the club.
“We were missing one or two from our regular A grade side,” he said.
“Having one of your best goalers and a key defender out of your side is always going to be difficult to overcome, but we had to play around that.
“We came up against a side in Tonny who were really strong through their mid-court and shooting wasn't easy.
“But I think the team we put on court performed really well, we just missed those players.”
Both Tongala and United find themselves in similar positions this season - developing as sides with a group of players not used to playing together as yet.
And both are looking to how they can learn from games like Saturday as they continue to grow.
“You take your lessons out of every game,” Day said.
“We know this season is going to be filled with a lot of opportunities for our players to learn. They are still very young in terms of their netball development.
“Some of this group haven't played a lot of A grade before.
“That's going to come with time. As this group spends more time together on the court they will keep getting better. We just hope to see them continue to improve.”
Wade said her players were excited to continue challenging themselves.
“It's good for us to show we are coming together as a team quickly,” she said.
“And we hope to see how we can perform against sides with a bit more experience.
“We have Deni this week, they've had a really good start to the season, so we are excited to see how we can perform against them.”
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